


Tempest

by Fave101



Series: Blackout [2]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers, Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-07-18 10:59:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 27,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16117010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fave101/pseuds/Fave101
Summary: Canada knows he has the largest ghoul population in the world.  Everything he’s done for them has been illegal, but he will always be willing to take the chance of getting caught if it means they’re happy.  He’s also willing to take the same chances to protect the one he loves.  Sequel to ‘Blackout.’





	1. Chapter One

 

Tempest

Chapter One

**AN: Yo! This is a sequel to one of my other fics called 'Blackout.' You probably need to read it to understand what's going on here. This was originally going to be called 'Whiteout,' but I thought it was kinda cheesy. Tempest is kinda a synonym to it, plus it has a connection to airplanes so I couldn't pass that up!**

**Started writing July 10th 2018**

**Started editing August 1st 2018**

Matthew groaned as Gilbert moved to get up. He wrapped his arms around his waist pulling him back down into the bed. The albino laughed carefully prying his hands off.

"Come on, Liebling. I've got to have a shower." Prussia said brushing some hair out of Canada's eyes. "Jou can come vith me if jou vant."

Matthew huffed and let go of him rolling back over. He pulled the covers over his head. Gilbert smiled standing up; the blond was never a morning person. He quietly went over to their suitcase and picked out clothes for the day before going to the shower. The couple was staying in a hotel in Tokyo for meetings.

Prussia finished his shower and got dressed heading downstairs to find some breakfast. He picked up miso soup, rice and grilled tuna. It wasn't his typical breakfast, but he didn't mind. He managed to find some coffee too. The albino went back up to their room to find Matthew still asleep.

Gilbert smiled and set a cup of coffee on the bedside table knowing the scent would wake him up soon. He went over and sat at the tiny pedestal table to have his breakfast.

After five minutes, Matthew's head popped out of the covers. He stared at the coffee debating whether or not it was to far. He sighed and narrowed his eyes. He wanted the coffee, but didn't want to move. The albino smiled watching him.

"It's good coffee, Birdie." Gilbert said with a smile. The Canadian looked to him and back to the cup. He bit his lip and groaned loudly sitting up. He grumpily took a sip of the coffee. "Guten morgen."

"What time is it?" Blackbird asked through a yawn. He took another sip of his coffee humming happily.

"Almost eight." Prussia said finishing his breakfast and going back to the bed with his coffee. He sat cross legged next to the Canadian snaking an arm around his waist. "We need to be there in a half an hour."

"Why are they so early?" Matthew mumbled leaning into the Prussian's side. He smiled and kissed his cheek. "I don't understand morning people."

"Jou better get ready." Gilbert warned. Blackbird nodded reaching over him and setting his coffee down. He rolled out of bed and dug through their suitcase. He found one of his sweaters and a pair of jeans. He grabbed his mask as well, he brought it with him all the time. The Canadian was happy that it was a casual dress meeting, he really didn't want to put on a suit. He knew that the Prussian was watching him as he dressed, he smiled showing off slightly.

Once he was done, he went back over to the bed and sat back down with the coffee. Gilbert had already finished his and Matthew quickly chugged his. The Prussian stood up and offered Canada his hand. He took it and he pulled him up and into a kiss.

"Jou're so cute, Birdie." Prussia hummed as they broke apart. The Canadian blushed with a small smile. Gilbert pulled Blackbird along to the door. He grabbed the keys and their cell phones on the way. He handed Matthew his and he stuffed it in his pocket. Canada yawn loudly as they stepped into the elevator. "How are jou so tired?"

"Ghouls are nocturnal, remember?" Blackbird said sarcastically with a smile while Prussia rolled his eyes. The pair stepped out of the elevator into the lobby. Gilbert took Matthew's hand in his as they started to walk. It was a beautiful warm day and the sun was shining bright. He smiled happily feeling the sun on his skin.

The meeting was in a tall sky scraper right on the top floor. It was a few blocks over from their hotel so there was no point taking the subway or renting a car. He didn't mind the walk, it was good to get some exercise in between the meetings.

Canada decided not to take up any contracts while he was in Japan. The ghouls in the districts in Tokyo seemed to be at odds with each other and he really didn't want to touch that and make it worse. Every contract that had been sent to him that was in Tokyo was on another ghoul.

A weird scent caught his attention. He looked around immediately spotting a group of five young people across the street. They had slightly differing white coats and dark pants. He'd never smelled anything like them before, he didn't know what they were. One of them, the oldest looked his way. The man had white hair, but looked like someone had dumped a bucket of black paint on top.

Matthew quickly looked away focusing back on Prussia and where they were going. The pair walked into the lobby of the building just as Russia, Ukraine and Belarus were. All of them got into the elevator together and made some small talk until they reached the top floor. They stepped out and Gilbert spotted his brother and pulled Canada towards him.

"Hallo West!" Prussia greeted slapping him on the back. Germany grunted while Italy waved and Japan smile greeting them as well. They stood around and talked for a while in the break room before the meeting started.

Blackbird knew immediately when America entered the room. He didn't need to see him to know he was glaring. His hate for the Canadian had amplified since the nations took his side. It had been a few years and anytime they were in the same room, Alfred would glare at him. He'd talk bad about him to anyone that would listen.

The other nations didn't treat him any different after they learned he was a ghoul. They still mostly forgot about him, except when they had a question about ghouls, Matthew didn't mind. Some of the nations had been pushing new laws around ghouls. Ones that would help them and not hunt them.

Germany waved for them to go into the actual meeting hall. The nations filed in ready for a couple hours of boredom and presentations. Prussia and Canada managed to get seats side by side. After an hour of sitting, Matthew was almost falling asleep. Gilbert poked him and quickly drew a grid on his notebook. He raised an eyebrow with a smirk. Blackbird sighed with a smile and drew an x. The albino smirked and drew an o. The couple played X's and O's for a while barely paying attention to the presentations.

'I should bring like sudoku or something.' Matthew wrote. The Prussian nodded quickly.

'Ohhh, maybe bring like a where's Waldo book.' Gilbert wrote back. The Canadian laughed quietly starting another game. They played for another while until Italy started his presentation on pasta. His was one of the few presentations Blackbird payed slight attention too. Mostly because Italy was always so happy and excited to talk about pasta.

Suddenly there was a loud crash and all the nations jumped out of their seats. There was a huge hole in the side of the building. Matthew immediately stepped in front of Prussia seeing the dust starting to clear. Three pairs of glowing red eyes materialized out of the smoke.

**AN: A new chapter will be posted every Thursday unless something comes up. Best way to know if I wont be posting will be to look at my tumblr ( tallpoppy-canada)**

 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Matthew immediately stepped in front of Prussia seeing the dust starting to clear. Three pairs of glowing red eyes materialized out of the smoke. He growled protectively seeing them. The albino had a fistful of his sweater pulling him back.

"Birdie!" Prussia said nervously. Other nations were already starting to run, but others were frozen. A tentacle shot out of the dust wrapping around Italy's waist pulling him back. The albino let go of Canada's shirt seeing this. "Be careful!"

"You too, get out of here." The blond said quickly giving him a kiss on the cheek and Prussia nodded eyes filled with worry.

Blackbird immediately ran forward quickly throwing on his mask and releasing his kagune. He jumped into the air turning and cutting through the other ghoul's kagune. He caught the Italian and jumped back shooting a blast of shards at the trio. Germany was still there watching, eyes filled with fear. Matthew used his wings to shield his back as he got closer to the blond man.

"Take him," Blackbird said carefully handing Italy to him. Germany only looked slightly terrified. "Get out of here."

Ludwig nodded taking the Italian and running. He looked quickly around the room, all the other nations were gone. Matthew turned back to the ghouls with a growl. He could see now that the dust had cleared there were two female koukaku ghouls and a rinkaku male ghoul. All wore identical uniforms and masks. The two koukaku ghouls must have been twins, both had identical kagune.

Blackbird stood and watched to see what they were going to do next. They seemed to be nervous not knowing what to do or if to attack. They clearly weren't expecting a ghoul to be among the nations. The pair of koukaku's seemed to have made their choice and rushed at the Canadian. He hopped up out of the way of their swords shooting a concentrated blast of crystal shards at one of the twins.

The woman cried out in pain as the crystals tore through her. Her sister jumped in front of her blocking part of the barrage with her sword. Matthew landed in a crouch as the girl started to run at him again. She stabbed at him, but he ducked under it tackling her. He threw her back at her twin.

The rinkaku ghoul decided to step in and attacked with his tentacles. He managed to wrap one around his waist while the twins were recovering. He was lifted off the ground. The Canadian twisted bringing one of his sharp crystal wings down on the limb and sliced through it. He landed easily on his feet as another tentacle shot towards him.

Blackbird moved out of the way of the first, but didn't see the second one coming. The second's razor sharp end cut into his side just above his hip. He growled and quickly sliced through it. By now both of the koukaku ghouls had recovered and were advancing. The pair tried to flank him, but he jumped back up into the air watching for the rinkaku's legs.

Canada shot another blast at the koukaku he'd injured earlier. The woman growled blocking with her sword, but he landed behind her. Blackbird shot another bunch of shards point blank at her back. She didn't have a chance to move as the crystals became embedded in her spine. The woman immediately collapsed. Matthew could see that the wounds weren't healing.

The other koukaku ghoul howled with anger and charged at him head on. He brought his wings in front of his chest protecting himself from her swipes. He unfurled his wings throwing the other ghoul back. He noticed the rinkaku's tentacles starting to encircle him. He growled shooting larger shards at the woman before focusing on the other ghoul.

The rinkaku's legs snaked around him. Blackbird didn't have enough time to jump out of the way before the man's tentacles tightened around him. He lifted him a few feet off the ground. The sharp scale like texture cut into Matthew's arms and legs. He struggled, but it only made the scales bite deeper into him. Canada could hear the koukaku ghoul walking towards him slowly. She was scraping her sword along the ground as she walked. He bit his lip and twisted in the rinkaku's grasp. He pushed his crystal wings back shattering the other ghouls kagune.

Matthew landed in a crouch shielding himself with his wings from the falling shards. He hopped back into the air seeing the koukaku charging at him again. He was about to shoot a blast of spikes at her, but he was tackled. The rinkaku ghoul growled and pushed him back.

They hit the windows on the edge of the room. The glass shattered and Canada lost his balance falling backwards. His eyes widened trying to grab anything to hang onto. He grabbed the other ghoul, but he lost his balance as well. The pair fell through the broken window.

The rinkaku ghoul screamed as they fell clinging to Blackbird. He growled and twisted throwing the man off him. He quickly spread his wings. He couldn't fly, but it would slow his fall. He knew he was still falling to quickly and turned digging his kagune into the side of the building. He managed to slow himself enough landing in a crouch in the street. The other ghoul had landed in the centre of the road and wasn't moving.

Matthew heard a yell and looked up to see the other koukaku ghoul sliding down the building after him. He growled and shot sharp spikes at her. He hadn't led his shot enough. The woman avoided the shards and landed in the street.

Canada was very aware of the humans around them and was hesitant to use his ranged attacks. They hadn't done anything wrong and he didn't want to hurt them. The people started to back away and run.

Blackbird wanted to end this quickly and get out of here. He charged forward at the woman. Her eyes widened as he swiped at her with his wings. She clearly hadn't seen a ukaku attack head on before. The koukaku gasped as the crystal cut through her chest. She slashed back at him. Canada easily jumped out of the way not wanting more wounds to heal from. He came back down quickly and cleanly slicing through her shoulder breaking her kagune.

The woman cried out in pain holding her shoulder and stumbling back. The wound looked like it was already started to heal. Matthew shook his head and advanced again. The koukaku didn't have her kagune to deflect his. He quickly shot a small concentrated blast at her throat. Blackbird jumped back ready to fire again, but she fell to her knees. The woman didn't make a move to get up.

Canada turned ready to run, but skidded to a stop seeing a line of Doves in the street. He immediately lowered his kagune. He had no intentions of attacking or hurting the agents.

"Surrender, Blackbird." The man he'd seen earlier with white and black hair called. He stepped forward away from the line of Doves. The Canadian wondered how much English he knew and how well they'd be able to communicate. The man's scent suddenly made sense. He had smelled a one-eyed ghoul before, but something about this one was different.

"I don't want to hurt you." Matthew said slowly. He took another step back looking for an escape.


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"I don't want to hurt you." Matthew said slowly. He took another step back looking for an escape. He knew the Doves wouldn't just let him go, but he wanted to make his intentions clear.

"Then surrender peacefully. We will not harm you either." The Dove said stepping forward. He had a long thin sword like quinque in his hand.

"I can't do that." Blackbird said shaking his head taking another step back. He glanced around again spotting a glint of metal in one of the windows. He could barely see the barrel of a gun sticking out slightly. There were snipers in the buildings. He raised his wings to shield the back of his head. He heard footsteps behind him and quickly turned.

The other four Doves he'd seen earlier were running at him. They had kagune and quinque. He wasn't surprised to see that they were one-eyed ghouls as well. He'd met a few before. It explained their odd scents. They were still slightly different than the ones he'd met.

Matthew jumped into the air over their heads. He didn't look back as he took off running. He didn't want confrontation with them. He could hear them chasing him as well as the crack of rifles. Luckily none of the bullets hit him before he got around the corner. Being an ukaku he was a lot faster than most ghouls. Especially because of how old and how much experience he had.

The street was completely empty, the people must have been evacuated. He ran as fast as he could rounding another corner. He had no idea where he was going. Canada looked ahead seeing more police and CCG officers. They had their backs to him stopping people from going down the road. He ran towards them and jumped over them into the crowd. He dissolved his kagune hoping to blend in. He did keep his eyes black and red. He knew his regular eye colour would make him easier to identify.

Blackbird could hear the one-eyed ghouls yelling to the other officers. The agents started to chase after him parting the crowd. He kept running ignoring the shouts. He ducked down alleys and went through heavy crowds, but the Doves managed to stay right on his tail. He wondered if there was a helicopter keeping tabs on him. He couldn't see one, but he could hear one. He ran down another street into a new sketchy district. He heard the footsteps behind him stop and he looked over his shoulder. There were people, ghouls, standing in the street stopping the Doves from following him.

Matthew yelped as someone caught his hood and pulled him into a building. He was about to attack until he saw it was just a little old lady smiling up at him. She was a ghoul too.

"Hello Kuroi tori." She greeted with a smile. He looked confused and raised an eyebrow, he only knew a little bit of Japanese. The woman just smiled sweetly and gestured for him to follow. He looked over his shoulder still hearing the fighting outside. He turned his attention to the lady again following her through the house. She led him into a bedroom on the second floor and started to dig through a closet. She threw clothes over her shoulder at him. "Change." She said with a smile.

Canada nodded as she left. He was still a little bit confused, but changed into the new clothes. He had tight skinny jeans, a t-shirt and a denim jacket with a fake sweater hood. He put his mask into the pocket of the jacket. The Canadian switched his eyes back to normal. He came back out of the room with his other clothes. The woman was waiting for him and took them.

"Dōmo arigatōgozaimashita." Matthew said gratefully. He hoped he was pronouncing things right.

"You're welcome." She said with a gentle smile. "It's the least I can do after all you do." The woman led him back down stairs to a back door. "The hato are setting up a circle to hunt you." She explained slowly thinking of her words. "If you hurry, you can escape."

Blackbird nodded. He realized he didn't know how to get back to the hotel, back to Gilbert. He quickly asked the woman and she told him to follow hospital signs then go two blocks north. He thanked her again pulling up his hood and waving as he left. She smiled gently waving back. As he walked, he could still hear fighting a few blocks over. He wanted to help them, but he didn't know if he'd be able to get away again. He hoped that the ghouls would be okay.

Canada hadn't realized how far he'd run from the city centre. It was quite a bit of a walk back. He was very tired and yawned loudly. Healing the dozens of small cuts from the rinkaku's scales had taken a lot out of him. The other larger cut from him on his hip was still healing. He sighed and kept walking. No one gave him a second look as he passed. He didn't see any Doves as he walked. The streets were full again, Tokyo had gone back to normal. He finally got back to where he knew where to go. He found their hotel quickly after that.

The Canadian sighed pulling his hood down as he stepped into the elevator. He couldn't wait to see Prussia again. He knew that the albino would be beside himself with worry. He found their room and unlocked the door stepping inside. Gilbert was there in an instant pulling him into a hug.

"Matthew! Thank Gott." He said burying his face in the crook of the Canadian's neck. Blackbird hugged back tightly and pressed a kiss into his hair. "Are jou okay?"

"I'm alright." Matthew hummed tiredly as Gilbert pulled back to look into his eyes. "Just a few scrapes."

"Ich liebe dich." Prussia said pulling him down for a kiss.

"Je t'aime aussi." Canada said as they broke apart. Someone cleared their throat and Matthew looked over to see Germany and Italy there. The other blond had a small smile on his face and Italy waved excitedly. He was glad that the pair had waited with Gilbert. The Prussian stepped away, but still held his hand. "Are you okay Feli?"

"Yes! I'm okay." He said with a bright smile. "Grazie!"

"Everyone else got out okay as well?" Blackbird asked.

"Ja, no injuries. A few are pretty shaken, but they'll be alright." Germany said and the Canadian sighed. "Thank you, Canada."

"It's no problem." He said with a small smile. "Do you know where Japan is?"

"He's speaking with the Doves." Ludwig explained. "Vhy?"

"Some of the Doves, they were one-eyed ghouls. Five of them." Matthew shook his head. He'd thought about them on the walk home. There was no way that the officers were natural one-eyed ghouls.

"One-eyed ghouls?" Italy asked confusion on his face.

"Half human, half ghoul. They're extremely rare, like an urban legend." Blackbird explained. "I've met a few, there not as rare in Canada, but these were different. They're scent was off. I don't think they're natural."

"Jou think they were humans or made?" Prussia asked and Matthew nodded. "How would that vork?"

"I have no idea." Canada shrugged. "As a ghoul, I'd give anything to be normal. I'm sure most ghouls would." He shook his head and looked down. "I don't think it's right if they were humans."

"It definitely isn't." Germany muttered. He hoped that the German would bring it up with his friend. Canada would like to know, but didn't want to stick his nose were it doesn't belong. "The three ghouls, did jou recognize them?"

"No, they weren't very high profile or anything. I don't think they belonged to a group, none that I recognized anyways. I'm not too familiar with the Japanese groups." Matthew shook his head.

"Ve'll have to see if they're identified." Germany said. "Hopefully they'll find a motive."

"My CCG will probably be involved somehow as well because Blackbird was there." Canada said with a shrug.

"They probably von't be happy that they had jou cornered and jou still got away." Gilbert commented. They must have seen everything on tv. "Ve saw jou running. Vhere did jou slip off to?"

**AN:  Used google translate for the japeneese so it might not be 100% accurate...** **Kuroi tori= Black Bird** **Dōmo arigatōgozaimashita = Thank you very much**

**or at least that's what they're intended to be.**

 


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

**AN: So, I posted a whole other fic today. It's called 'Dark Waters' and is the fourth fic in the Dare Devil time line. All 22 chaps are already up!**

"Ve saw jou running. Vhere did jou slip off to?" Gilbert asked carefully snaking an arm around his waist.

"I ended up in a different district and some other ghouls attacked the Doves. A little old lady grabbed and pulled me into her house." Matthew explained. "She gave me these clothes and sent me on my way."

"We're glad that you're-a okay." Feliciano said with a bright smile. Germany and Prussia nodded in agreement.

"Thank you again, Matthew." The German said with a small smile. He directed Italy towards the door. "Ve'll leave jou two now."

"Thanks West, bye Feli!" Gilbert called as Matthew waved. The door shut behind them and the Canadian locked it. Prussia's arms snaked around his waist again. He turned in his arms to face him and hugged him tightly. "Jou scared me." He said shakily.

"I'm sorry." Canada quickly apologized kissing his forehead. The albino smiled giving him a kiss on the cheek. He carefully picked Prussia up and carried him the few steps to bed. He sat on the bed with him in his lap.

"I know jou can't really die." Gilbert murmured. "But jou can get caught. I don't know vhat I'd do vithout jou Birdie."

"That won't happen as long as I can help it." Matthew said reassuringly.

"I know." Prussia sighed lightly kissing his neck. "I'm just being unawesome and vorring too much."

"You definitely have reasons too." Blackbird said through a yawn.

"Jou sure jou're okay?" Gilbert asked looking up at him with concern.

"Yeah, just tired from healing." Canada explained. The couple laid back in the bed. Prussia pulled the blankets over them as Matthew curled into his side. The albino wrapped his arms around him while he tangled their legs together. Blackbird sighed happily closing his eyes breathing in his scent. Gilbert's scent always calmed him and made him feel safe. He was exhausted and fell asleep quickly.

-❄️"My name is Connor, I'm the android sent by Cyberlife."❄️-

The couple was woken up a few hours later by a knock at the door. Matthew groaned tiredly as Gilbert untangled himself from him. He sat up watching him go to the door.

"It's England and France." Prussia whispered unlocking the door. The Canadian rolled onto his feet and went over to his side as he opened the door.

As soon as the door was open wide enough Francis pulled the pair into a hug. "Matthieu! Tu vas bien! Dieu merci." He said as he pulled back. "We were all so worried."

"Glad to see that you're okay, Canada." England said with a smile. He was always much more reserved than France. Blackbird smiled looking down at his feet. "We also have some news. The rest of the meetings are cancelled for this month. We can go home."

"Ve can fly out at any time?" Prussia asked and Arthur nodded. "Sveet! I can't wait to go home."

"Have a safe flight, let us know when you get home." France said hugging them again. The couple nodded as the pair waved. Matthew yawned as Gilbert shut the door behind them. They weren't ones to stay long.

"Want me to book flights now?" Canada asked and Prussia nodded. He picked up their laptop and sat cross legged on the bed. The albino sat next too him leaning into his side. "There's one tomorrow at eight to Vancouver."

"Jou sure jou can vake up that early?" Gilbert teased. He smiled rolling his eyes.

"Maybe I just won't sleep until then?" Canada suggested with a smile. "But anyway, there's no flights back to Ontario that day so we could stay in the BC house for the night?"

"Sounds like a good plan, Liebling." Prussia hummed kissing his cheek. They didn't stay in the BC house often. It was easier to stay in Ontario and be closer to parliament. Canada had a few houses that he barely used, one in BC, another in Saskatchewan, another in the Northwest Territories and one in Newfoundland.

Matthew booked the flights while Gilbert told the hotel they were leaving early. He came back from the lobby with coffee. He handed one to Canada and sipped his own.

"Thank you." Blackbird smiled taking a sip.

"Are jou going to get Ash to look into the ghouls?" The albino asked settling down next to him as he finished booking.

"No, I'll ask if the CCG's don't find anything on the three." Matthew explained. "It's not really any of my business if Japan is turning humans to ghouls."

"I'd say if it vas any other nation's business, it's jours." Prussia said and the Canadian shrugged.

"I think I'll keep an eye on it, but I don't want to get involved. Unless something changes." He sighed. Gilbert nodded. He confirmed the booking and closed the laptop setting it on the side table. "Pack now or later?"

"Better to do it now." Prussia sighed getting up. Matthew grabbed their suitcase while the albino gathered their stuff. He set it open on the bed. The pair started to fold their clothes and pack them away. Blackbird got changed into another sweater and a pair of his own less tight jeans. "Ve're keeping those."

"Why?" Matthew asked as Gilbert folded them and put them away in the suitcase. They were a bit to tight for him.

"They make jour ass look awesome." Prussia said with a smile. The Canadian blushed and looked away. "I mean, jour butt always looks awesome, but these really make it look fantastic."

"Gil!" Canada whined blush deepening. The albino smiled and cupped his face. He loved making him flustered and blushy.

"Jou're so cute Birdie!" Gilbert said kissing his nose. Matthew smiled and laughed. His hands went to his hips pulling the Prussian closer. "Absolutely adorable."

"Gil!" Canada said through a laugh. He knew his face was bright red.

"Jou're perfect!" Prussia hummed. Matthew just shook his head. "There is really no better vord to describe jou! I mean awesome vorks alright, but perfect is...perfect!"

"I love you, Gil." Canada said with a small smile. The albino's hands tangled in his hair pulling him in for a kiss. Matthew tilted his head giving him a better angle. Gilbert lightly bit his lip asking for entrance. He immediately allowed it without a second thought. Prussia hummed trailing his hands down the Canadian's sides making him shiver.

"I love jou too, Matthew." Gilbert said breathlessly as they broke apart. It wasn't too often either of them said it in English. The Prussian trailed kisses along his jaw line down his neck. He pushed the collar of Canada's sweater out of the way to get at his collarbone. He bit and sucked in one spot leaving a mark.

Matthew didn't mind when Prussia left marks on him as long as they were out of sight. The albino like marking him; liked letting others know that he was taken. He would occasionally leave a hickey higher where people could see it. Canada only ever got mildly annoyed when he did. He'd get revenge later anyways.

"Ve should probably get some sleep." Prussia murmured drawing back with a sigh.

"Yeah." Canada nodded zipping up their suitcase and hauling it off the bed. He took another sip of his coffee before getting back into bed. Prussia was already there and pulled him close.

**AN: My google history when writing this and 'Blackout' is mostly "can ghouls _?"**


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

"You sure we got everything?" Canada asked as Gilbert did one last sweep of the room.

"Ja, pretty sure." Prussia sighed running a hand through his hair. Matthew smiled happily ready to go home. "Vhat time is it?"

"Almost seven." The Canadian said. "We need to get going."

Gilbert nodded as Matthew zipped their suitcase and set it back on the ground. The couple left the room and got into the elevator. Blackbird yawned loudly and Prussia laughed.

"Jou're lucky ve don't have to be there early." The albino said as the stepped out of they elevator. Matthew nodded in agreement.

"It's still too early though." Canada said through a yawn. The pair walked to the subway station and waited for their train. They got to the airport and showed a guard their passports. The small seal in the corner let him know who they were and they didn't have to go through customs. They didn't have to pass through any RC cell detectors.

The pair sat waiting at the gate when Matthew felt his phone go off. He took it out to see it was from Ash. 'Yo! Just saw the news. R u okay?!'

'Yeah, sorry! Only a few cuts. Just waiting to get on a flight back home.' Canada replied. 'They're reporting on it there?'

"Ash?" Gilbert asked looking over. The Canadian nodded.

'Of course. It involves the rwb.' Ash replied with an eye roll emoji. 'They've got the footage of you running all over the news.'

'Anything solid?' Canada asked.

'Nah, it's from a helicopter. They only caught up to you after you jumped into the crowd.' Ash texted back. He didn't remember hearing a helicopter. 'They're not saying much about what happened before that.'

'I'll tell you when we get back. Bit of a story.' Matthew replied.

"Ve're boarding." Prussia said poking his arm. He stood up and offered the Canadian his hand. He took it and Gilbert pulled him up. They went up to the booth and had their tickets checked before getting on the plane. The couple settled in for the long flight sharing a pair of ear buds watching a movie. Matthew fell asleep after five minutes.

-❄️"Never argue with an idiot. They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience."❄️-

They finally landed hours later. Prussia carefully nudged Canada awake. He yawned and stretched happily. He was happy to be home, they both were. The pair got off and went to find their suitcase. After they went outside and hailed a taxi.

The ride was pretty long. The house was a little way away from Vancouver surrounded by forest. Canada loved staying in BC. It was always so much quieter up in the mountains. If he didn't have to be so close to Ottawa he'd stay in BC or the Northwest Territories.

The couple got out of the taxi and payed the driver. They quickly thanked him before walking up to the door. Matthew reached for the key above the door and opened it. He stepped in going to open windows and get some air moving. Prussia left their suitcase by the door, there was no point unpacking. He went into the kitchen and searched through the cupboards looking for something to eat. He found an almost expired box of Kraft dinner and old beer in the fridge. He shrugged and opened the beer and started to make the KD.

Canada came back into the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. While he waited he put his arms around the albino's waist as he cooked and kissed him behind the ear. Prussia hummed happily putting one hand on top of Matthew's.

"Found something?" Canada asked looking down into the boiling pot.

"Ja, might taste kinda funny because there's no milk or butter." Gilbert said with a shrug. Matthew let him go to drain the pot while he grabbed his finished coffee.

The pair settled on the sofa and watched some tv. Prussia got up after a while to go clean the pot while Canada went to have a quick shower. He cleaned and dried off before going to find the albino. He followed his scent into the bedroom.

Canada found him staring out one of the huge floor to ceiling windows at the forest. Gilbert looked over his shoulder with a smile hearing him enter. Matthew walked over to him and the Prussian put an arm around his waist pulling him closer.

"It's so beautiful." Prussia said looking out over the forest and mountains. "No vonder jou are too."

"What did I do to deserve you?" Blackbird wondered out loud. He never felt like he deserved the albino. He was always so kind and supportive through everything. He had helped him work through a lot of his problems.

"I should be asking jou that, Birdie." Gilbert said giving him a kiss on the cheek. Canada smiled resting his head on top of his. "Ve're cheesy,"

"We are." Matthew hummed leaning into the Prussian's side. He looked out the window again. The sun was just setting and there were dark clouds on the horizon. "Looks like it's going to storm tonight."

"Looks like jou von't be sleeping tonight then." Prussia said moving his head to look up at him. Matthew loved watching and listening to storms. "Vhat time do ve need to get to the airport tomorrow?"

"Eleven." Canada said through a yawn. "So not extremely early. I don't need more sleep yet anyways. I slept for the whole flight."

"It's still early for jou." The albino teased and Matthew rolled his eyes. The Canadian quickly bent down and looped one arm under Gilbert's legs and the other on his back sweeping him off his feet. "Ah! Birdie!" He yelped clinging to his sweater.

Matthew laughed lightly kissing his nose. Prussia giggled pushing his face away. He smiled kissing his hand and the albino laughed. He wrapped his arms around the Canadian's neck pulling him down for a proper kiss. Blackbird carried him over to the bed and gently set him down. He went to take off his sweater, but the albino pulled him down with him.

"Noooo! Stay!" Gilbert whined hands slipping under his sweater tracing along his chest and stomach.

Canada was pretty muscled, but it was hard to tell because he always wore oversized sweaters. He kept up his strength for fighting other ghouls. He was still very light despite the muscles. The first time Prussia saw him without a shirt he was surprised and impressed.

Matthew hummed happily at the feeling not bothering to get up again. He sighed curling into the Prussian's side and rested his head on his chest. "Gute nacht, Liebe." Gilbert said pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"Bonne nuit, petit ours." Canada hummed just listening to Prussia's heart beat. He fell asleep after a while, but Matthew stayed awake. He wasn't really tired and wanted to listen to the storm. His stomach rumbled telling him he was hungry. He hadn't eaten in a few months. He'd have to find someone to eat when they got back. He didn't want to leave it much longer.

Blackbird shifted hearing the first distant roll of thunder. The Prussian's grip tightened on his waist and relaxed again as he fell back asleep. He smiled happily watching the storm through the window.


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

"Puma!" Matthew snapped picking up the cub. They had just got home and the bear kept jumping into their suitcase as they unpacked. "You're a little devil today." Kumajirou chewed on his fingers as he was set back down on the bed. He immediately jumped back in. "Stop."

Prussia laughed watching the pair argue. The cub was completely ignoring the Canadian. He smiled seeing Blackbird picking Kumajirou up again setting him down on the bed. He turned right around and jumped back into the suitcase. Matthew sighed and picked him up again. The cub clawed his way up onto his shoulder and perched there. Gilbird flew in and landed in the Prussian's hair with a chirp.

"Silly little thing." Gilbert said scratching the bear behind the ear. He leaned over and gave Matthew a kiss on the cheek. "Vhat are jou doing today?"

"I need to go out for a bit then I should work on the ghoul law stuff." Canada sighed. "Do you need anything?"

"Ve're almost out of coffee. Oh! And milk and eggs." Prussia said thoughtfully. "I'll have to check for other stuff."

"Well, we can't go without coffee!" The Canadian said in an over dramatic voice as Gilbert nodded with a smile. "Make a list and I'll pick stuff up. I'll finish unpacking and go."

"Okay, Birdie." The albino said starting to help him unpack. Matthew's movements were a little bit hindered with a polar bear cub on his shoulder. He went to start laundry as Prussia went to make a list. He came back up stairs going to find the albino in the kitchen. "Just a few small things." He said handing Canada the list.

"I'll be back in an hour or two." Matthew said grabbing his backpack and bike keys.

Gilbert nodded. "Be careful, Liebling." He said standing on his tip toes to kiss his cheek. He knew what the Canadian was going to do.

"I will be, as always." Canada hummed pulling him in for a proper kiss. He put his jacket on making sure he had his mask. "Bye Gil! Call me if you need anything."

The Canadian sighed stepping into the garage and grabbing his helmet. He put it on climbing onto his bike and starting it. He smiled happily listening for a moment before riding off.

Blackbird hadn't decided where he was going yet. He could always visit Zyler or any other funeral home to pick up some meat, but he didn't want to take from other ghouls that couldn't hunt like him. No one else could hunt in Canada like him. He decided to go downtown and see what kind of trouble he could stir up.

Matthew quickly singled out a man. He noticed him walking behind another man as he slowly rode. He watched him pick pocket the man and crossed the street in front of him as Blackbird waited for the light. He smiled from under his helmet watching him. The Canadian turned into an alley quickly finding a place to leave his bike.

Canada went back to where he saw the man last and picked up his scent. He tracked him for a few blocks spotting him not to far a head. He was following behind another person expertly taking their wallet. Matthew saw him duck down an alley and followed. The man looked up seeing him and raised an eyebrow.

Blackbird walked right up to him and quickly snapped his neck. He wasn't in the mood to play with his food or cause too much noise. The man collapsed and he crouched down next to him. He opened his jacket and found nine different wallets. He shook his head and put them into his backpack. He'd mail them back later. His stomach growled reminding him why he was there.

-❄️"I'm always hungry or tired or both."❄️-

"Gilly! I'm back!" Matthew called stepping into the house. He set his backpack on the kitchen counter taking out the groceries. He also took the wallets out grabbing a pen and envelops. He sat up at the counter. He heard footsteps and looked to see Prussia.

"Hallo Birdie." He greeted kissing his cheek. Gilbert looked over his shoulder to see what he was doing. "Vallets?"

"Caught a pick pocket." Canada mumbled. He knew that the albino understood what he meant. He didn't like talking about his meals or when he was going to go eat with him. It didn't seem to disgust him or make him uncomfortable, but Matthew didn't like to talk about it.

"I called Franny, told him we got back." Prussia said taking the groceries and starting to put them away.

"Oh! Thanks, I completely forgot." The Canadian said running a hand through his hair. He started to write out the addresses from the driver's licenses and health cards on the envelopes leaving small notes inside. "Do we have any stamps?"

"Ja, I think so." Gilbert said opening one of the drawers. He dug through it finding a book. "They're like five jears old."

"They'll work." Matthew said taking them and sticking them on. He drew a tiny maple leaf on the bottom left corner with special ink just incase there wasn't enough postage. The workers would see the symbol and excuse it. He sighed finishing the last one. He set them in a pile on the counter. He'd have to remember to mail them later.

Prussia finished putting the groceries away and sat up at the counter next to him. "Going to vork on the legislation?" He asked.

"I better. I shouldn't keep putting it off." Matthew said biting his lip. He stood up walking around to Gilbert's side and kissed his cheek. "I'll be in the office if you need me."

"I'll come and visit jou vith coffee later." The albino said leaning into his touch. Canada smiled laughing lightly as he walked to their office. He sighed turning the light on and going to sit behind the desk. He grabbed his note book and flipped it open to were he last left off reading over his notes. He went back and changed a few things before moving on.

Blackbird was pretty stressed about writing out all the laws and legislation around ghouls. He felt like he was incriminating himself. He was proposing a system that was already in place illegally and he was the kingpin of the operation. He knew that there was a chance that the laws wouldn't pass. He knew that the government could start looking into it and discover what was really going on. It seemed like the humans subconsciously knew that something was going on, but didn't care. He was worried they would care if it was brought to their attention.

Canada sat there for hours writing and rewriting, changing wording and completely scrapping some sections. He didn't feel like he made much progress. Prussia had brought him coffee at least five times. He lost count after the fourth. He took his mugs so he couldn't count that way.

"Birdie, liebe?" Gilbert asked standing in the doorway. Matthew looked up glasses almost falling off his nose. "It's late, come to bed."

"What time is it?" Canada asked pushing his glasses up and rubbing his eyes.

"Almost two AM." Prussia said with a yawn. The Canadian stood up with a groan cracking his back. He walked over to the albino and shut off the office light. Gilbert smiled taking his hand and pulling him along to their room.

Matthew changed into his pjs while the Prussia picked out one of his sweaters and put it on. The couple shared a lot of clothes, but the albino particularly loved borrowing his hoodies. They settled in bed, arms wrapped around each other and legs tangled together. Kumajirou hopped up into the bed with Gilbird in his fur and curled up above their heads. Canada hadn't realized how tired he was until he closed his eyes.


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

**A few weeks later...**

Blackbird yawned sipping his coffee and reading the paper. He hummed happily feeling the sun on his skin. He was sitting outside on the porch. Gilbert was next to him under an umbrella. He didn't want to get sunburnt.

Matthew had visited Ash and the other ghouls last week. It had taken him a week to finally get around to it. He had had a lot of meetings. Once he had finally had time to, the others were excited to hear the story. They were surprised to hear the full thing and how he got out. He mentioned the one-eyed ghouls, but didn't ask Ash to look into them yet.

Prussia had to fly out later in the day for a meeting with his brother. Matthew couldn't go, he had some of his own meetings he had to go to. France always said it was good to spend some time apart; that absence makes the heart grow fonder. He hated it though, he missed the loud enthusiastic albino so much.

"I guess I better get packing." Gilbert grumbled standing up. He offered Canada a hand and he took it pulling him up. "Coming to help Birdie?"

"Of course." Matthew said with a small smile. The couple walked up stairs to their room. The Canadian grabbed their suitcase while Prussia started to decide what clothes to take. He went to the bathroom grabbing the albino's toiletries and packed them away. "Did I forget anything?"

"No, looks good." Prussia said looking over the stuff he grabbed. He set a pile of clothes on the bed. He grabbed a suit, casual clothes and a couple of Matthew's hoodies. "I'm stealing these for now."

"I need to go shopping again. I'm running out of clothes." Canada said and Gilbert laughed. He had to buy a lot of shirts and sweaters. His kagune ripped through the back of them every time he used it.

"I vouldn't mind if jou ran out of clothes." Prussia purred arms snaking around his waist. His hands slipped under his sweater tracing along his abs.

"You might not mind, but others probably will." Blackbird said interlacing his fingers behind the albino's neck. Gilbert smiled hands coming to rest on his hips.

"Ich liebe dich." The Prussian said lightly rubbing circles with his thumbs into his hips.

"Je t'aime." Matthew hummed at the touch. He pulled Prussia in for a kiss. He grabbed the Canadian's belt loops pulling and pressing their hips together. "What time do we have to leave?"

"Mind in the gutter already, Liebe?" Gilbert asked kissing along his jaw. He lightly bit Matthew's earlobe making him gasp. "Not until eight. Ve've got hours."

"Good." Canada said picking the albino up and throwing him onto the bed. Prussia laughed as the Canadian crawled on top of him. His hands tugged at the hem of the albino's jeans. "I want you, Gil."

**AN: If I do end up doing smut later, who would you like to see top? (editing me~ I did both ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Went from never doing smut to doing two chaps in one fic)**

-❄️"We attacked the USA with Nickelback and Justin Bieber"❄️-

"Ready?" Matthew asked and Gilbert nodded. He grabbed his suitcase and put it in the truck. He already had his rifle in the back tucked under the seat. He had picked up a hit later in the night. Blackbird opened the truck door for Prussia.

"Such a gentleman." Gilbert smirked kissing his cheek and climbing in. Canada smiled closing the door behind him and getting in the driver's side. He started the truck. "Vhat are jou planning on doing while I'm gone?"

"Probably nothing." Matthew shrugged as they drove. "Hopefully work on the ghoul stuff."

"Remember to sleep Birdie." Prussia warned.

"I know." Blackbird smiled. "Don't drink too much."

"No promises on that." Gilbert said and Matthew rolled his eyes. "I'll be 'responsible' though."

"Did you pack Tylenol?" Canada asked raising an eyebrow.

"West definitely has some." The albino smiled. "Although, it's unawesome that jou vont be there to nurse me back to health."

"Awww Pooh Bear." Matthew said. He would have pinched his cheek if he wasn't focused on driving. "I'm sure you'll survive."

"I know, but I'll miss jou." Prussia sighed.

"I will too." Canada said biting his lip. "It's only a few days."

The rest of the drive was pretty quiet. Traffic was light and they made it to the airport quickly. Matthew hopped out and grabbed the Prussian's suitcase from the back. He walked around and set it in front of him. Gilbert pulled him into a hug. He hated goodbyes as well, even if it was only for a few days.

"I'll call jou as soon as I land." Prussia said pulling him in for a kiss. Matthew nodded with a sad smile. "Ich liebe dich, Vogel."

"Je t'aime aussi." Canada sighed giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Have a good flight Gilly."

"Bye Liebling." Gilbert said sadly waving as he walked off. Blackbird sighed and waved as well watching him go. He turned and climbed back into his truck checking his watch. It was just starting to get dark out. He drove towards the city again.

Matthew went to a secret parking spot that was hidden in an alley. His target was supposed to be in a late meeting and get out in just under an hour. He climbed up onto the roof settling with his rifle laying on his stomach in the gravel. He peered through his scope watching for his target.

Blackbird's phone rang. He jumped at the sound and pulled it out to see the contact. "Hey, Shayne. What's up?" He asked answering the phone.

"Yo, Matt." Shayne greeted. "Just letting you know, one of the ghouls we've been keeping an eye on is moving back down towards the cities."

"Is she?" Matthew hummed absentmindedly spotting his target through a window. "I'll call you back in about an hour to get the info."

"Okay!" Shayne said. "Talk to you in a bit."

"Yeah, bye." Canada said hanging up. He refocused on the man. He was still sitting at the head of the table surrounded by other business people. He sat comfortably watching them talk and discuss something. He didn't really care what.

Matthew had been watching this man for quite a while. He was happy someone had finally sent him a contract for him. The man ran a charity for the church, but none of the money ever made it to them. He kept it for himself and spent it on fancy cars and clothes.

Blackbird watched as the other business people left the room. His target stood closing his books and laptop heading for the door. He took a breath steadying his shot and firing. The man immediately collapsed in a heap with a bullet in the back of his head. Canada dropped one of his cards and climbed down off the building. He walked back to his truck and put his rifle in the back before climbing in.

"Hey Matt." Shayne greeted. "That wasn't an hour."

"Went quicker that I thought." Matthew sighed running a hand through his hair. "Anyways, about that ghoul?"

"Oh right, she's a bikaku. We think she came over from the UK, but has Australian citizenship." Shayne started. "She's good, really good. She's known as the Scorpion and tends to hunt other ghouls, not humans. She does occasionally hunt them though."

"A kakuja then?" Matthew asked biting his lip. He didn't like dealing with kakujas. They were very strong and unpredictable and she was a bikaku. He was at a bit of a disadvantage.

"Most likely yes, but she hasn't seemed to display the typical behaviour of one. She could just kill them and move on." Shayne explained. He changed to a more serious tone. "I'll send you the tracker. Be careful Matthew."


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Canada followed the tracker to her general location. She had only been about an hour away in a few towns over. He parked the truck in a stores parking lot before starting to find her scent. He picked it up in the parking lot and followed it into the store. She definitely smelled like a kakuja.

Blackbird walked into the store. It was late, almost their closing time. The clerk looked up at him with a slightly annoyed expression. He smiled apologetically in his direction. He continued into the store following the Scorpion's scent. Canada found her in the coffee isle, where else would a ghoul be.

The woman looked him up and down with a smile. "You're him? You're the Red-Winged Blackbird?" Matthew didn't respond. He just smiled and raised an eyebrow. "I've been waiting to take a bite out of you."

"Let's take this outside then, eh?" Blackbird suggested tilting his head towards the back door. He knew there was nothing, but forest behind the store. He didn't want to cause the clerk any more trouble. She nodded with a sly smile.

The woman turned on her heal walking towards the back door. Matthew followed behind her to outside. She knew he wouldn't attack her until they were in the forest; out of sight of the cameras or prying eyes.

As soon as they were out of sight the ghoul attacked. He immediately understood why she was called Scorpion. She had two pincers, three sets of arms as well as a tail. All came to razor sharp points. Her whole body was covered with a thick plated armour. Matthew hopped into the air perching on a tree branch. He released his own kagune as he put on his mask. She looked up at him angrily armour starting to cover her face. It unfortunately left her mouth and eyes exposed. She looked crazed with hunger; very different than the woman he just talked to.

"Get down here!" She snarled twisting and stabbing at the branch with her tail. It easily cut through the wood like butter making Blackbird fall. He landed in a crouch and shot a blast of large shards at her. They stuck into the armour, but didn't seem to actually hurt her. Scorpion laughed taking another swipe at him with her tail. He hopped back out of the way and up into the trees.

Matthew launched himself at the woman. He twisted and brought his wing down like a broad sword. It cut through the armour on her shoulder. Pieces of it crumbled and fell off. Scorpion hissed and before he could react, she grabbed him with her six arms. The woman hurled him against a tree. He didn't have enough time to correct himself and hit the tree with a crunch. He knew his arm was broken, he was lucky it wasn't worse. Canada grunted getting back to his feet and sending another blast of spikes at the woman.

Scorpion cried out as the crystals lodged into the exposed part of her shoulder. Blackbird jumped back into the trees watching her pulled the shards out. He wanted to get at her back, it would be the quickest way to kill her. He jumped through the trees while she was distracted to get behind her. The woman smiled wickedly and suddenly turned as soon as he started to dropped down.

Canada screamed in agony as her arms stabbed into his sides catching him in mid air. He felt them puncture through one of his lungs. He struggled to get out of her grip, but the sharp arms just dug deeper into him. She put her pincers around his neck cutting off his air supply. Matthew growled twisting and shooting a large blast of crystals at her. She just sidestepped around them with a smirk. The only damage he did was more to himself. The pain and lack of air was making his mind fuzzy.

"You smell odd, but I'm still going to eat you." Scorpion purred lowering him and pressing him into the ground. She moved her claws from his neck allowing him to breathe again. The woman laughed crawling on top of him watching him struggle and bleed. He tried to push her off, but with her armour she was too heavy. He was starting to tire as his body tried to heal around the sharp arms still inside him. He knew that if he wasn't a nation he would have been dead from the wounds. He was lucky he was still conscious.

Scorpion smiled pulling one arm out of his side causing him to groan in pain. The sharp spike morphed into a hand and grabbed his arm. He tried to pull away, but she yanked one of her other arms out of his side making him cry out in pain. She morphed it into a normal hand as well taking a hold of his arm. Matthew heard the crunch from the broken bone as she pulled it to her mouth.

"Get off me." Canada growled weakly trying to swipe at her with his wings. He couldn't get a good angle and barely cut her side. She just smiled and sniffed along his arm tearing his sleeve as she went. Blackbird snarled renewing his efforts pushing the pain and limbs piercing into his sides to the back of his mind.

The woman completely ignored him and took a bite out of his arm. Matthew cried out and growled renewing his efforts. He didn't want to get eaten. He finally managed to overpower her. He swapped their positions and jumped back into the trees; ripping the spikes out of him as he moved. He held his injured arm to his chest and quickly looked over his wounds. He had six large stab wounds, three on each side. They were deep; his body was working hard to try and heal his lung and other internal damage she had caused. Scorpion had taken a chunk out of his arm, he could see the broken bone.

"You taste alright, surprisingly." She said licking her lips and looking up at him. "What are you?"

Matthew didn't respond. He looked down at her giving himself a moment to heal. Pushing the pain to the back of his mind. He needed to make a plan and kill her. He couldn't keep fighting for long with his injuries. He couldn't move quickly and he didn't want to get to close. He decided the best approach would be just to pick at her with his crystals.

Blackbird flexed his wings shooting a single spike at her. She laughed stepping out of the way. He shot another spike as she moved. It lodged into her foot making her trip. He noticed the armour was thinner around her joints and smiled. He shot two spikes into the back of her knees with enough force to drive them into the ground. She fell forward with a yelp. Scorpion tried to reach back and pull the shards out, but Matthew shot more crystals at her arms pinning all of them to the ground.

The woman looked up at him with fear in her eyes. Her armour started to dissolve as her mind cleared. "Please, I just wanted a bite. I'll leave." She said carefully. Scorpion's kagune broke down and disappeared leaving her completely vulnerable.

Canada stayed perched on the tree branch. He had zero intentions of letting her live. He shot a large crystal at the base of her spine. The woman cried out unable to move. Matthew smiled at her pain, but was ready to end her. He shot another crystal at the base of her neck and she finally stopped struggling, she wasn't breathing.

Blackbird had had a few bad fights in the past, but this one was definitely close to the worst. He carefully jumped out of the tree and landed in a crouch on the forest floor. His vision blurred and he fell forward onto his hands and knees with a grunt. He knew he couldn't go far until his wounds partially healed. He slowly crawled over and rested against a tree pulling his legs against his chest and dissolving his kagune. He groaned at the pain and closed his eyes.


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Blackbird groaned closing his eyes. He was still in the dark forest waiting for his wounds to heal. He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there. He was exhausted, but the pain was keeping him awake. He hated how slow he healed. He healed much slower than a ghoul, but faster than a nation.

Matthew shifted slightly and a bolt of pain went through him. He whimpered freezing in place. Scorpion had done a lot of internal damage that was still being repaired. His body hadn't even started to work on closing the holes or filling the chunk missing out of his arm. He'd set the bone straight a little while ago. He was lucky he was able to stay conscious through the fight.

Blackbird knew he could call Shayne or any of the other ghouls on his team to help him. He didn't bother, there wasn't much they could do to help him now anyway.

Canada sighed and tried to get more comfortable. Every movement sent a wave of pain through him. He closed his eyes again trying to sleep. He noticed that the lights at the store had gone completely off leaving him in the darkness. He sat unmoving for hours waiting for his wounds to heal. He noticed the first few rays of sunshine.

Suddenly, his phone rang. Matthew knew from the tone it was Gilbert. He shifted again hissing at the pain and grabbing his phone. He took a breath and prepared his normal voice before answering. "Hey Gil." He said a little more quietly than he intended.

"Hallo Birdie!" Prussia greeted loudly. Canada smiled hearing his voice. "How are jou?"

"I'm okay." The Canadian lied. "How was your flight?" He asked getting the attention off himself.

"Awesome!" Gilbert laughed. "The lady next to me had a baby vith her. She vas a little angel, not a peep out of her the whole time."

"Awww, that's good." Blackbird said with a small smile. It was nice to have a distraction from the pain. "How is Ludwig?"

"Not here yet." Prussia said. Matthew could hear the smile in his voice. "Got caught in traffic. He's mad at himself. Jou know how much he loves being early!" The albino laughed. "Vhat are jou doing, Liebe? It's like five am there right?

"Uhhh, I think?" Canada said biting his lip.

"Birdie, remember to sleep!" Gilbert said with a sigh. He knew the Canadian didn't take good care of himself when he was gone. "Next time I should tell Kumajirou to drag jou to bed."

"That might be a good idea." Matthew said laughing lightly. He winced at the pain clenching his teeth to not make a sound.

"Oh! West's here." Gilbert mumbled sadly. "Please take care of jourself, Liebling. Ich liebe dich."

"Je t'aime. Bye Pooh Bear." Blackbird said with a frown hanging up. He looked over his wounds again. The holes were finally starting to close up, but were still bleeding. He sat for almost another hour until they were fully closed. Canada got shakily to his feet leaning against the tree for support. He pushed off and started to walk. He passed Scorpion's body dropping his card beside her.

-❄️"The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep."❄️-

Matthew made it home fairly quickly. Kumajirou ran up to him immediately sniffing him. "What happened, Watt?"

"Nothing." The Canadian replied with a yawn. He would have bent down and picked him up, but he didn't think it would be the best idea. He walked into the kitchen with the cub following him. Gilbird flew up to him and landed in his hair with a chirp. He grabbed Kumajirou's food from the fridge and Gilbird's seed from the cabinet. "Here guys."

The polar bear jumped up onto the counter ignoring his food and lightly pawed at his arm. Canada yelped and recoiled from the touch, his arm was still healing.

"Sorry." Blackbird apologized seeing that he scared the bear. "Had a bad fight with another ghoul, I'm still healing a little."

"Oh." Kumajirou said. Matthew smiled and scratched him behind the ear with his good arm. "Sorry for hurting you."

"It's alright, Comma." Canada hummed and started to make a pot of coffee. He looked at the clock seeing it was almost eight am. He didn't want to sleep until later and hopefully keep a bit of a normal sleep schedule. He yawned wincing at the pulling he felt.

The coffee maker beeped telling him his drink was ready. He grabbed a mug, but decided to just take the whole pot. He took it into the office and sat behind the desk. He grabbed his notes and read them over. He sighed and closed the book deciding it wasn't the best idea to work on it when he was tired. Instead, he opened his laptop and started to answer emails. There were a few from other nations asking questions about ghouls. He took a while answering those and stuff from Canadian politicians.

Matthew noticed an email from Alfred and his new boss. America had been doing damage control over the last couple of years. After they had attacked Canada many sanctions were being put on them and many nations were slowly phasing out American imports. Alfred and Matthew did not have the best relationship, but America and Canada did. The attack had completely broken the trust between their governments. Other nations trusted him even less than they already had.

Alfred hadn't said anything about him being a ghoul to any authorities. He had seemed to understand that that could end up in repercussions for him and other nations. If the CCG tried to examine or execute him they could end up uncovering other nations.

Blackbird sighed leaving the email, he'd let his boss respond. He went to take a sip of his coffee from the pot, but it was empty. He groaned and looked at the clock. It was almost three o'clock in the afternoon. He hadn't realized how long he'd been reading emails. He stood up and resisted the urge to stretch just encase he ripped his wounds. He grabbed the empty pot and laptop heading for the kitchen.

Matthew waited as another pot of coffee brewed. He took the whole thing with him again going and sitting on the couch. He opened his laptop and started to do a bit of shopping. He ended up buying a bunch of hoodies and shirts. He sighed looking at the clock again. Shopping had wasted another couple of hours.

The Canadian closed his laptop and went upstairs to the bathroom. He carefully peeled his shirt off looking over the wounds. The six stab wounds were still tender and healing while his arm was still filling in. He jumped in the shower washing the blood off himself. He knew it should have been the first thing he did when he got home. He threw his shirt in the garbage knowing it could never be worn again.

Matthew put on pyjamas and crawled into bed. It was still light out, but he was exhausted and hadn't slept since yesterday. He sighed sadly curling up on Gilbert's side of the bed. His scent was there, but he still missed the Prussian. Canada didn't realize how bad he was at taking care of himself until he was alone.

Kumajirou jumped up on the bed. He sniffed his hair before curling up behind his back with a huff. A few minutes later, he heard chirping. Gilbird flew in and nested in his hair. Blackbird smiled and hummed closing his eyes.

-❄️" I like coffee because it gives me the illusion that I might be awake."❄️-

Matthew blinked awake with a yawn. He looked around with a groan. He wondered what time it was. The room was bright so he either woke up after an hour or it was the next day. He felt a lot better, he didn't feel any pain. Canada sat up and looked at his phone seeing he missed a few texts from Gilbert. He quickly sent an apology saying he was sleeping. He glanced at the time realizing it was nine am the next morning.

Blackbird huffed and laid back in bed. He stayed there for a couple of hours staring at the ceiling. He finally decided to get out of bed around lunch. He went downstairs not bothering to get out of his pjs. Kumajirou and Gilbird were sleeping in a patch of sun. He smiled gently seeing them. He quietly grabbed their food and left then on the counter for when they woke up.

Matthew made another pot of coffee before going in to the office. He grabbed his notebook and opened it reading over his notes. He sighed and got down to work. He got to the point where he didn't want to change anything and thought it was alright. He grabbed a new piece of legal paper and started a fresh draft without any of his scribbles and notes along the sides.

After a few minutes, Kumajirou and Gilbird wondered into the office. The cub hopped up and curled up in his lap while the little canary nestled in his hair. Canada hummed happily and continued with his work. He stayed and worked for a few hours until he finished the draft. He sighed and tucked the document away knowing he'd read it over later and change things.

Blackbird stood up cradling a sleeping Kumajirou in his arms. He walked into the living room and settled on the couch. The cub woke up and nuzzled in his neck almost purring. He smiled and laid out on the couch. He sighed and turned on the tv. He was barely paying attention to it, he was thinking about Gilbert.

**AN: So my tumblr blogs got randomly terminated. There weren't any warnings or anything. Emailed support, but haven't heard anything yet. Have to see what goes on for now, I guess. Not very happy.**


	10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

**AN: It seems like everything that happens in most of my fics happens in an alley.**

**A month later...**

Gilbert smiled kissing his cheek pulling him along down the street. The couple had just gotten out of a movie. It was fairly late, almost midnight. They had walked there earlier in the night. It was a nice cool and clear summer night.

"It's such a nice night." Canada hummed happily. Prussia nodded in agreement taking his hand as they walked.

"We could sit outside vhen we get home. Too bad it's late." Gilbert sighed. "And jou've got meetings tomorrow."

"Unfortunately." Matthew grumbled. He had another round of NAFTA meetings with Mexico and America. He was a bit nervous just because Alfred was there. He'd slowly been getting better around the American, but the nerves were fully gone yet.

The pair turned down an alley on their route home. It was pretty dark without the street lights, neither one of them minded the darkness. Prussia was quietly humming a song as they walked. Blackbird didn't know what it was, but smiled listening to him. Without warning, Gilbert cried out in pain.

Matthew gasped and caught him before he fell. His instincts told him they were in danger. He growled possessively carefully pulling the Prussian close to him as his eyes changed. He spotted the attacker and released his kagune. The purple hair koukaku ghoul seemed to instantly recognize his mistake and took off running. Blackbird shot a blast of spikes as the man ran. He would have hunted him down if Gilbert hadn't gasped when he moved slightly.

Canada carefully sat him down against the wall and took in the damage. There was blood and a lot of it. Prussia had a large deep cut on his side. Matthew pushed his own fear to the back of his mind and took his sweater off. He quickly put pressure on the wound trying to stop the blood flow. The albino hissed at the pain biting his lip.

"Gil?" He asked eyebrows furrowed with worry. He was still on high alert knowing there was a possibility that the ghoul could come back.

"That hurts." Prussia grumbled opening his eyes. They were hazy and unfocused from the pain and blood loss.

"I know, I'm sorry." Matthew knew that he couldn't help him. He grabbed his phone and dialled 911. He quickly explained what happened to the operator. "Help will be here soon." He said reassuringly cupping Prussia's face with one hand. The other was still putting pressure on the wound, but it had bled through his sweater.

"Birdie, jour eyes." Prussia said with a small frown.

"Huh? Oh." Canada said blinking and changing his eyes back to normal. He quickly dissolved his kagune hearing sirens getting closer. Gilbert's eyes started to close. "Hey! Keep your eyes open, please Gil."

"I know, I'm just tired." Prussia slurred slightly.

"Just a little longer." Matthew said biting his lip. He was terrified. He didn't know if the albino could die, he wasn't a full nation anymore. Blackbird knew he needed to stay calm and keep a level head, but it was hard with all these thoughts in his mind.

"I love jou, Matthew." Gilbert murmured quietly pulling him out of his thoughts. He took his hand and squeezed. "I'll be okay, can't get rid of the awesome me so easily."

Canada cracked a small smile. He heard footsteps and looked over his shoulder expecting the ghoul. He sighed in relief seeing the paramedics rushing towards them.

-❄️" You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fear."❄️-

The ride to the hospital was a blur. Matthew couldn't remember anything. He was to focused on Gilbert. When they got there the doctor told him the Prussian needed surgery. He couldn't do anything, but wait and worry. He hated waiting. Blackbird sat in a badly lit room waiting for any news. He was alone in the room; for once he didn't mind being alone.

Canada had texted Ash a description of the ghoul that had attacked them. He had got a pretty good look at the man and made him top priority to find. He also texted Mexico telling him he wouldn't be at the meetings tomorrow. He had called Germany, but had got no answer. He didn't know what time it was there or he could have been in meetings. Matthew sat waiting for what seemed like hours when his phone finally rang. He jumped as it broke the silence.

"Hello Ludwig." Canada said biting his lip. He was putting his thoughts together to tell the German.

"Canadia? Vhat's going on?" Germany asked. There were voices in the background.

"Gilbert's been hurt." Matthew said slowly. "He's in surgery right now. They're saying he'll be okay."

"Was? How?" Ludwig asked quickly.

"A ghoul attacked us on the way home." The Canadian said shaking his head.

"The doctors are sure he'll recover?" Germany asked concerned.

"Yes, they just wanted to make sure that there wasn't any internal damage." Blackbird explained.

"I can't leave the meetings I'm in right now, they're to critical." Ludwig said. "Call me if anything changes. Please keep me updated, I'm sorry I can't be there."

"It's okay, Ludwig. I understand, Gil will as well." Canada said. Being a nation sometimes got in the way of their personal lives. "I'll text you as soon as I know anything."

"Thank you, Matthew." Germany said gratefully.

"No problem." Matthew said. They said their goodbyes before hanging up. He heard a knock at the door and looked up. There was a nurse in the door frame. She looked shy and nervous approaching him. She was a ghoul.

"Hello, sir." She said quietly clearing her throat. "Mr. Beilschmidt is almost out of surgery and will be moved to recovery soon."

"Okay, thank you." Matthew said relieved.

"And there's Doves on the way to interview you." The nurse said quickly. Blackbird nodded, he knew that they'd be coming soon. "It might not be the best idea to have a huge hole in the back of your shirt." She said handing him a jacket she'd been hiding behind her back.

Canada took it and put it on. "Thank you." He smiled. She nodded and started to leave.

"I'll come to get you when Mr. Beilschmidt is moved." She said and the Canadian nodded. He was alone again. He sighed leaning back and watching the clock. After almost fifteen minutes he heard footsteps again. He looked up to see two uniform CCG officers looking him over.

"Hello, Mr. Williams." The taller one greeted. Matthew stood up and shook both of their hands. "I'm Agent Avesta and this is my partner Agent Holbein."

"It's nice to meet you." Canada lied. He was a ghoul so Doves, even his own, made him tense.

"We'd like to ask you a couple of questions." Holbein said and Matthew nodded. "Were you able to get a good look at the ghoul?" She asked. The Canadian nodded. The agent pulled out a note pad as he started to describe the ghoul. "And the koukaku was the only ghoul there?"

"Yes." Canada said slowly faking thinking it over

"There were crystal spikes lodged in the ground. It looks like the Red-Winged Blackbird was there." Avesta said. Matthew widened his eyes to look surprised. "You didn't see them?"

"No, sorry." Blackbird said with his eyebrows furrowed. "I was to busy trying to help Gil."

"Hmmm, well. I'd say you two were very lucky Blackbird was around." Holbein sighed closing her note pad. "That's all we need for now. Thank you. We'll be back in when Mr. Beilschmidt is able to answer questions."

**AN: And they never do come back. Completely forgot about them and don't feel like adding them in later.**


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Matthew sighed looking at the clock. He'd been sitting at Prussia's bedside for close to two days waiting for him to wake up. He hadn't moved from the chair the whole time. Nurses had been in and out checking the albino over. They told him that Gilbert could wake up at any time.

Blackbird had thought a lot about that night. There were so many things he could have done to prevent what happened. He was angry at himself for not noticing the ghoul and not reacting quick enough. He should have been more conscious about the people around them. He should have known there was a ghoul behind them. He should have been able to protect him. It was his fault Prussia was hurt and he hated himself for it.

"Hey, Matt!" Canada snapped out of his thoughts at the voice. He gave a small smile seeing Zola. "Thought you'd be here." She said handing him a cup of coffee.

"Thank you." Blackbird said gratefully taking a sip of the coffee. He hadn't had anything for the last couple of days and was starting to get hungry. He knew he should have been going to get coffee, but he didn't want to leave Prussia's side.

"How are you? How's Gilbert?" Zola asked looking both of them over with concern.

"I'm fine. He'll be alright too." Matthew sighed looking over to the Prussian. "He should be waking up soon."

"That's good!" Zola said with a smile. She handed him a bag as well. "Here."

Canada took the bag raising an eyebrow. He looked inside to see his clothes. "How did you get in my house?" He asked with a small smile raising an eyebrow.

"You left the door unlocked." She said with a smirk. He nodded accepting the answer. He did forget to lock the door half the time. Either way he trusted Zola. "You should get changed." Blackbird hesitated, he didn't want to leave Gilbert. "I'll stay with him while you change." She said immediately picking up on the concern.

Matthew bit his lip and nodded standing. He stretched and cracked his back with a wince. Zola smiled taking his spot as he went to find a bathroom. He asked at the nurse's station and they lead him to the bathroom. He thanked him before going in and quickly changing. He was happy to have a hoodie again. He immediately went back to Gilbert's room after he finished changing. Zola stood up giving him his seat back.

"You look much better." She commented. "Have you moved at all?"

"No, I didn't want to leave him." Matthew sighed biting his lip. Zola nodded in understanding. "Thanks for the clothes and coffee."

"No problem, Matthew." She said with a bright smiled. "Try to get some sleep and get up to get coffee or something."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Blackbird sighed with a small smile. "Do you know if Ash has found anything?"

"No, they haven't yet." Zola said shaking her head. "I'm sure they will soon."

"I know, I trust them." Matthew sighed. He was just being impatient.

Zola looked like she was about to say something, but her phone buzzed. She looked down with a frown. "Ohh, gotta go Matt. I'll bring you more coffee tomorrow if I get a chance!" She said quickly.

"Thanks, Zola!" Matthew called after her. He took another sip of coffee and got comfortable in the chair again. He took one of Gilbert's hands in his squeezing lightly. He sighed sadly when there was nothing in return. He leaned forward resting his chin on his arms on the edge of the bed still holding the Prussian's hand. He closed his eyes trying to fall asleep.

-❄️" The nicest thing for me is sleep, then at least I can dream."❄️-

Prussia blinked awake slowly looking around. He didn't recognize his surroundings and his eyebrows furrowed. It was very clean and white. He immediately assumed it was a hospital. He looked down at himself and spotted Matthew. He smiled softly seeing the Canadian sleeping while holding his hand. There was no way the position he was in was comfortable, but Gilbert didn't want to wake him. His eyebrows furrowed, he looked exhausted with dark circles under his eyes.

The albino thought back trying to remember what happened. He knew they had just left a movie. He remembered walking with Canada along the street and down an alley. Then he remembered blinding pain and Matthew there comforting him. He knew they'd been attacked, but he couldn't remember by who. It must have been a ghoul judging by Blackbird's reaction.

It wasn't often Prussia saw his ghoul side, the Canadian kept it hidden. He thought that Matthew thought it scared him or made him uncomfortable. Gilbert couldn't care less. It was still his Canada, even if he had red and black eyes as well as kagune. He was never scared of him and knew that he would never hurt him. He knew Matthew would do anything to protect him. He loved the Canadian so much.

Blackbird stirred slightly moving his head with a sigh. Prussia smiled and lightly squeezed his hand. His eyes opened slowly and he looked sleepily around. He squeezed his hand again and Matthew looked up at him.

"Gil!" He gasped happily standing up and leaning over him.

"Hallo, Birdie." Prussia said with a gentle smile. He could see tears pricking in the corners of the Canadian's eyes. He reached up and carefully cupped Matthew's jaw brushing the tears away with his thumbs. Canada leaned into his touch. "Please don't cry, Liebe, I'm okay."

"I'm sorry, Gil." Blackbird said quietly looking down sniffling. "It's my fault you're hurt, I'm sorry."

"It's not jour fault, Liebling." The albino shook his head. "Do not blame jourself."

"But-" Matthew started, but he was cut off.

"No, it's not jour fault." Prussia repeated sternly. Canada nodded slowly still not meeting his eyes. He knew him to well. "Don't blame jourself, Birdie." He finally looked up and met his eyes nodding slowly. "Ich liebe dich." He said moving his hands from his jaw and interlaced them behind his neck. The albino pulled him down for a kiss.

"Je t'aime aussi." Matthew said as they broke apart. He was stiff and nervous not wanting to jostle or hurt the Prussian. Gilbert's fingers played with his hair trying to get him to relax. Canada heard footsteps and drew back away from the albino's touch. He looked to see the nurse walk in. She smiled seeing them.

"I thought I heard voices. It's good to see you awake Mr. Beilschmidt." She said with a smile. "Are you in any pain, sir?"

"Nein, I'm okay." Gilbert said with a reassuring smile. Matthew sighed in relief.

"Good. The doctor will be into see you soon." She said looking between the pair again before leaving. Canada sighed sitting back in the chair still holding the albino's hand.

"Are jou okay?" Prussia asked raising an eyebrow. He didn't see any wounds on the Canadian, but he knew that he probably hadn't moved or really slept the whole time he was out.

"I should be asking you that." Matthew sighed. Gilbert squeezed his hand wanting an answer. He knew Blackbird was still feeling guilty. "I'm fine, just a little shaken." He admitted.

"Jou can't get rid of me that easy!" Prussia said with a bright smile. Canada couldn't help, but smile too.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

"Hello Mr. Beilschmidt, it's nice to meet you." The doctor greeted with a smile. Matthew and Gilbert looked up seeing her enter. "I'm Dr. Zots."

"Hi." Prussia said with a smile. "Jou know jou can call me Gilbert? Mr. Beilschmidt is to formal."

"Alright then, Gilbert." Dr. Zots said. "I'm going to check you over and explain your timeline, okay?"

Prussia nodded and the doctor approached him. She checked his breathing, heart beat and blood pressure before checking the wound. Matthew looked away, he still felt responsible.

"I'm going to get an awesome scar!" Gilbert said excitedly looking at the cut.

"That's not the normal reaction we tend to get." The doctor laughed lightly redressing the wound. "You're healing really well. Hopefully we can have you up and moving by tomorrow and if all goes well you could go home the next day."

"Awesome!" The albino said with a smile. He looked over to Canada who was also smiling.

"Do you have any questions for me?" Dr. Zots asked.

"Ja, vhen's supper?" Gilbert asked. Matthew snorted and the doctor smiled.

"In about an hour." The woman said with a smile. "I'll come back to check up on you tomorrow Gilbert." She smiled and ducked out of the room. Prussia sighed and Canada could hear his stomach rumble.

"Hey, Birdie." Gilbert started with a sly smile. "Isn't there a Timmies downstairs?"

"Gil." Matthew said with a small laugh. "Wait until supper. I'll get you something after."

"But Liebe!" Prussia whined. Canada just smiled and pulled the chair closer to his bed. "I'm hungry now."

"Just wait." Blackbird said gently. Gilbert groaned knowing that he wasn't going to get anywhere. He huffed looking down. "Eat your supper and I'll buy you a doughnut."

The albino looked up with a smile. The pair sat and talked for a while. Prussia kept trying to get him to come closer, but Matthew was still scared of hurting him. After a while, he could smell food coming. It smelled alright to him, he knew that Gilbert would hate it.

"This is terrible." Prussia grumbled poking at the beans. "I vant pancakes."

"Come on Gilly, eat your vegetables." Canada teased. The albino glared at him while he begrudgingly ate. Matthew smiled sweetly watching him. He did finish his vegetables, but wouldn't touch anything else. "What kind of doughnut do you want, petit ours?"

"Tim bits?" Prussia asked with a hopeful smile as Canada stood up. He nodded and bounced with excitement. The Canadian smiled as he went downstairs. He got himself a coffee and Gilbert's Tim bits before going back up. "Thank jou Birdie!"

"You're welcome." Matthew said with a smile watching him eat. He took a sip of his coffee handing it to Prussia. The albino took a sip and frowned realizing it was black. He quickly handed it back to the Canadian.

"Vhen are jou going home, Liebling?" Prussia asked sadly. He set the rest of his food on the table saving it for later. He looked out the window seeing it was starting to get dark.

"I'm not." Matthew said and Gilbert's face lit up. He scooted over to the edge of the bed and patted the empty space next to him. "No, Gil."

"Come in here, Birdie." Prussia said with pleading eyes. "I'm cold!"

"I can get you another blanket." Blackbird suggested. Gilbert shook his head and patted the bed again. "No, Pooh Bear. I don't want to hurt you."

"Jou von't hurt me. I trust jou." The Prussian said taking his hand and tugging on him. Matthew knew he probably wasn't going to let it go. "I want jou next to me. It's my good side anyways."

"Fine." Canada sighed knowing Gilbert wasn't going to give up. He lifted the covers and Blackbird carefully slipped under. The albino hummed happily scooting closer to him. Matthew was still stiff and unmoving. He didn't want to really even breathe just encase it was hurting him.

"Relax Liebe, I'm okay." Gilbert said reassuringly kissing his cheek. His hand snaked under his hoodie and lightly traced his muscles. Canada relaxed slightly under his touch. Prussia yawned loudly and rested his head on top of Matthew's. "Gute nacht."

"Bonne niut, Gil." Blackbird said with a yawn as well, he was pretty tired. He was a little worried about them getting caught, but Gilbert didn't seem to be concerned. After a few minutes, the Prussian fell asleep and was snoring. Matthew smiled and closed his eyes as well.

-❄️" Nothing is so healing as the human touch."❄️-

The next morning, Gilbert was the first awake, he always was. He was more of a morning person where Blackbird was a night owl. He hummed happily watching Matthew as he slept. He still had his arm around him, but Canada had shifted closer and curled into his side. He looked a lot better now that he'd got some sleep.

Prussia looked up hearing footsteps. He quickly pulled the blankets a little higher hiding the Canadian. He lifted his head and looked down noticing Matthew's legs stuck out the end. He hoped the nurses wouldn't notice.

"Good morning Mr. Beilschmidt." The nurse said stepping in the room with a smile. "Are you in any pain?" She asked walking to his bedside.

"No, I'm okay." The albino said. "Jou can call me Gilbert, jou know."

"Okay, Gilbert." She corrected with a small smile. "Can I see your arm, please?" Prussia took the arm that wasn't around Canada out from under the covers. She quickly thanked him and checked his vitals. "Looks good. Breakfast should be around soon."

"Yay." Gilbert grumbled. He wasn't looking forward to it.

"I hear it's pancakes this morning." She said with a smile as she left. Prussia frowned, but then remembered he had Tim Bits left over and smiled. Matthew popped his head out from under the covers with a laugh.

"That vas close." Prussia said with a smile seeing him laugh. The Canadian nodded carefully slipping out of bed. Gilbert frowned, he wanted Matthew to stay.

"No kidding. How did she not notice?" Blackbird said stretching. His back cracked loudly and he winced.

"Getting old, Liebling?" Gilbert asked with a smirk. Canada just rolled his eyes looking at the clock seeing it was almost ten am. He sat back in his chair with a sigh. Matthew could smell the food coming and smirked. The woman walked in a few minutes later and set the 'pancakes' in front of him. She gave him a sympathetic smile and left. "Vhen I said I vanted pancakes, I didn't mean this."

"The world's really hating you right now." Matthew said wincing at the food.

"It's not even real maple syrup." Prussia grumbled picking at his food. "I vant jour pancakes."

"How about you settle for those for now." Canada started. Gilbert narrowed his eyes. "And I'll make you a bunch when we get home?"

"As many as I vant?" Prussia asked hopefully and the Canadian nodded. He bounced happily until he took another bite of his food. He quickly washed it down with the orange juice they gave him. "How can they serve this crap?"

Matthew reached over and grabbed the slip that told him what had come with the albino's meal. He smirked seeing they had given him a gluten free, sugar free and dairy free meal. Gilbert pushed the pancakes away and picked at the fruit before grabbing his left over Tim Bits. They were stale, but still better than the pancakes.

"Maybe I'll get you some more of those later." Canada said with a small smile. Prussia bounced excitedly again.

"Yes please!" Gilbert hummed happily.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

"Hey Matt!" Zola called stepping into the room. She saw Prussia was awake and smiled. "Hey Gil! Good to see you awake!"

"Hi Zola." Gilbert said with a small smile. She handed Matthew a coffee.

"Thank you." Canada hummed.

"That food smells kinda alright." Zola commented and Blackbird cracked a smile. "Must taste terrible."

"Jou have no idea." Prussia grumbled. "Vant some?"

"Ah, no thanks." She said with a small laugh. "I'm good."

"Thanks for taking care of Birdie vhile I vas out." Gilbert said with a smile. He knew she must have been the one to bring him clothes and coffee.

"Oh, no problem!" Zola said with a smirk. Matthew rolled his eyes while the albino laughed. "Although, you should learn to lock your door."

"Forgetting came in handy this time." Matthew said with a shrug. Zola laughed lightly.

"Besides, it's Canada. No one ever steals anything." Gilbert said and the ghouls rolled their eyes. Zola's phone rang and she jumped.

"Oh! Sorry." She sighed looking at the phone. "I wish I could stay longer."

"That's alright, Zola." Canada said with a smile. "Thank you."

"Danke Zola!" Gilbert called after her. She smiled and waved as she left. Matthew hummed taking another sip of coffee. The albino reached over and tapped his knee wanting a sip.

"It's Black." Canada warned handing it to him. Prussia shrugged and took a sip with a frown before handing it back. He shook his head laughing lightly as he watched him.

"Hey, Birdie?" Gilbert asked. Matthew raised an eyebrow expecting him to ask for more Tim bits. "Do jou ever get cravings for human food?"

"Sometimes." Blackbird said with a small smile. He wasn't expecting that. "I really want to know what pancakes taste like to a person."

"Have you ever had food just because jou vanted it?" Prussia asked curiously.

"I always used to steal pastries from France when I was little." Matthew said and the albino cracked a smile. "They tasted terrible and I couldn't keep them down, but everyone always talked about how good they were."

"I remember France mentioning that." Prussia laughed. "He said jou vere a sneaky kid."

"Oh, I definitely was." Blackbird smiled. He heard footsteps and looked over to see Dr. Zots.

"Good morning." She greeted with a smile. "How are you today Gilbert?"

"Good." Prussia said.

"Any pain?" She asked starting to check him over again.

"No, I'm okay." Gilbert replied with a smile. She carefully peeled back the bandages to look at the cut. The doctor looked surprised.

"You're healing extremely well, Gilbert." Dr. Zots said. "I'd like to get you up and moving now, see how that goes and maybe you can go home tonight."

"Really?" Prussia asked excitedly. The doctor nodded. "Awesome!"

"I'll have a nurse come in and help you and we'll decide for sure in a few hours." The doctor said with a smile as she left. Gilbert bounced happily and Matthew smiled gently at his reaction.

"I can't vait to go home!" Prussia said moving his feet. "Pancakes!"

"I hope we have enough milk to keep up with your appetite." Blackbird said. "I'll have to go pick up clothes for you."

"Or I could just go naked." The albino said with a smirk wiggling his eyebrows. Canada just rolled his eyes with a sigh.

-❄️" Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive."❄️-

"I'm okay Birdie." Gilbert said reassuringly. "I can do it myself."

Matthew nodded watching him carefully ready to jump in and help at any second. The Prussian slowly lowered himself from their truck. He took the Canadian's hand and squeezed with a smile. The pair walked slowly to the stairs. Prussia leaned on him as they went up.

Dr. Zots had been surprised at how well he had been healing. She had said that she expected him to need at least another day in the hospital. She let him go home on the conditions of no hard work, heavy lifting or other strenuous activities. She knew that Matthew would get after him if he did. They had made an appointment to get his stitches removed later in the week. She told them to call and reschedule if they thought the stitches needed to be out earlier.

Canada turned the knob and opened the door. It was still unlocked and he knew by scent that Zola was the only one in and out. Kumajirou and Gilbird came immediately to see them. The little canary chirped happily at the Prussian as he offered him his finger to land on. Matthew bent down and picked up the cub.

"Where did you go?" Kumajirou demanded nuzzling his neck.

"Sorry, Jello." Matthew said running a hand through his fur. "I guess you guys are hungry eh?"

"Oh! Pancakes Birdie!" Gilbert gasped excitedly. Blackbird smiled and the couple walked into the kitchen. He quickly got their pet's their food before starting to make the pancake batter. Prussia sat at the kitchen table and watched him. He'd normally hop up and sit on the counter next to the Canadian as he cooked, but he didn't think it was the best idea. Besides, he was admiring the view from where he was.

Matthew was humming as he made the batter. Kumajirou had finished his food and climbed up onto his shoulder. Gilbert smiled watching him move around the kitchen. His movements were always so smooth and graceful. This was the Canada he knew and loved, the one that was quiet and gentle, but still strong and silver tongued. He never faltered or worried about how he acted when they were alone.

"Here, Gilly." Blackbird hummed setting the huge stack of pancakes down in front of him. He knew the Prussian had been staring and smiled to himself. He quickly grabbed the maple syrup and milk from the fridge before sitting across from him. Kumajirou hopped off his shoulder on to the table. Gilbird flew from Prussia's hair and landed in the cub's fur as he curled up.

"Thanks Liebling." Gilbert said with a bright smile smothering his pancakes with syrup. Matthew smiled sweetly setting the pills he was supposed to take in front of him as well. The albino ignored them as he ate. Once he was finished, the Canadian tapped his finger beside the pills bringing them to his attention. "I don't need them. It doesn't hurt."

"It could later." Matthew said pushing the pills closer to him. Prussia frowned. "You have to take them, doctors orders."

"Nooo, Birdie." Gilbert whined. "I don't vanna."

"Gil." Canada said warningly. There was a hint of a smile on his face. The Prussian always acted like a child when it came to taking medicine. "It's better to take them now then later when you're in pain."

"I hate pills. I don't vant to take them." The albino grumbled picking them up. He stared at them in his hand for a good five minutes before speaking again. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, better to be safe then sorry." Matthew said as Gilbert looked back down at the pills. He bit his lip taking a sip of milk before quickly downing the pills. "Thank you, Pooh Bear."

The albino shivered and stuck his tongue out wrinkling his nose. He coughed and groaned making a face. Blackbird walked around to the other side of the table and kissed his cheek. He laughed quietly at his reaction and picked up the Prussian's plate. He went over to the sink to start the dishes.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Matthew laughed quietly at his reaction and picked up the Prussian's plate. He went over to the sink to start the dishes. He didn't notice Gilbert sneak up behind him until his hand snuck around his waist. He rested his chin on the Canadian's shoulder watching him.

"Be careful Gil." Canada said slowing his movements to not hurt the albino.

"I'm alright." Prussia said reassuringly kissing him behind the ear. He hummed swaying them slowly trailing more kisses along his neck. "I thought I vorried too much."

"Just making sure you're okay." Canada sighed finishing the last dishes and setting them aside to dry. Most of their dishes were just coffee mugs. He turned around in the albino's arms kissing his forehead.

"I know, Birdie." Gilbert hummed happily pulling him down for a proper kiss. "Ready for bed?"

"Yeah, you should call Ludwig first." Canada said glancing at the clock. It would be a good time for him to call.

"Oh! I completely forgot about West! Jou told him?" Prussia gasped and Blackbird nodded. "I guess I should call him then."

"Yeah." Blackbird hummed. "I'm going to start some laundry. Call me if you need something."

The Canadian kissed his cheek and went to gather laundry. He trusted Prussia not to do anything stupid while he was gone. Kumajirou was following him around as he worked. The polar bear always did when he was doing housework. He didn't help, he normally just got in the way. Matthew had gotten used to it and worked around him. He swore the cub was more like a cat then a bear.

Once he was done putting a load in, he went back upstairs to find Gilbert. He traced his scent into the living room. He was still on the phone speaking happily in German. Canada went over and carefully sat down next to him on the couch. The albino immediately scooted over and leaned into his side as he talked. Matthew smiled and grabbed his laptop off the coffee table. He scrolled through the contracts he'd been sent. None of them really caught his eye and he knew the fund was doing okay anyways. He wouldn't need to do a contract for a few months, but he wouldn't leave it that long.

Prussia talked with his brother for almost an hour until he said good bye. He promised that he'd be 'responsible' before hanging up. Blackbird closed his laptop and set it back on the coffee table.

"How's your side?" The Canadian asked. Gilbert smiled and crawled into his lap wrapping his arms around his neck.

"It's okay. It's not sore or bugging me." He said with a yawn resting his head on Matthew's chest. He gingerly wrapped his arms around Prussia's waist below where he knew the wound was. "Hmmmm, jou're so varm. I'm gonna fall asleep."

"Time for bed?" Blackbird asked biting his lip to keep in a yawn. Gilbert nodded and the Canadian slowly stood up with him in his arms. He cautiously carried him up to bed. He set the albino down and pulled back to get undressed. Prussia grabbed the hoodie he took off and put it on humming at the warmth and his scent.

Blackbird crawled into their bed happy to be home. He very carefully laid down making sure not to jostle the Prussian. He kept his distance from him. Canada was still worried about hurting Gilbert. The albino knew what he was doing and moved closer. He wrapped an arm around his waist and kissed the back of his neck. Matthew relaxed slightly at his touch.

"I'm not that delicate, Liebe." Prussia said lightly trailing his hand down the Canadian's side. "Jou're not going to hurt me."

"I know, I'm just paranoid." Blackbird sighed turning over to face him. The albino smiled gently and kissed his nose. He smiled and giggled. "Je t'aime, mon petit ours."

Prussia smiled hugging Matthew tightly. "Ich liebe dich auch, mein Vogel." He said pressing another light kiss to his forehead. He yawned again and tucked his head under the Canadian's chin. Matthew sighed and tangled their legs together. He hummed happily closing his eyes.

-❄️" Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves?"❄️-

The next morning, Canada woke up late as usual. Gilbert was already awake and sitting up doing work in bed. He smiled and gently brushed some hair out of his face seeing he was awake. Matthew hummed tiredly leaning into his touch.

"Morning Birdie." Prussia said as he sat up. He set his papers aside and pulled Canada in for a kiss.

"Have you taken your pills?" He asked as soon as they broke apart. The albino seemed eager this morning.

"Not yet." Gilbert said kissing along his jaw and down Blackbird's neck. His fingers dusted lightly along his sides moving downwards. Matthew caught his hands stopping him.

"Gil, you're still healing." Canada said with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Please, Liebling?" Prussia asked giving him puppy dog eyes. He moved his hands taking Matthew's in his.

"Not yet, just wait a few days." Matthew said giving him a kiss on the cheek. "After your appointment, we'll see."

"Okay." Gilbert grumbled biting his lip.

"Sorry Pooh Bear, I know you're not made of glass." The Canadian said meeting his eyes. "I just don't want to take any chances. Doc said no strenuous activities and I'd say that definitely counts as one." Prussia cracked a small smile at that and nodded. Matthew heard his stomach rumble loudly. "I could make you some sausage for breakfast if you're that eager?" He suggested with a smirk.

"Sausage and eggs do sound pretty good right about now." Gilbert laughed. Canada smiled and rolled out of bed. He went to grab his hoodie, but realized the albino still had it. He just grabbed a new one and put it on as well as a new pair of sweatpants.

The pair went downstairs and Matthew started to cook. Gilbert made a pot of coffee for them and poured them each a mug. He handed one to the Canadian before going to sit at the table.

"Thanks Gilly." Canada hummed taking a sip. He finished cooking and plated his food. He walked over to the kitchen table food in hand and set it down in front of the albino. Matthew sat across from him as Prussia looked down at the food and snorted.

"Oh mein gott." He laughed seeing the shape the Canadian had positioned his eggs and sausage in. "Jou're just teasing me at this point."

"I don't know what you mean." Blackbird said with an innocent smile. Gilbert rolled his eyes and started to eat anyways. He set the albino's pills down next to his coffee.

"Noooo, Birdie!" Prussia whined seeing them. Canada laughed at his face. "I don't vanna!"

"Gilbert, it's only for a few days." The Canadian said pushing them towards him. "Do I have to argue with you every time?"

"No." The Prussian mumbled picking them up with a sigh.

"Thank you, Gilly." Blackbird smiled as he took them. The albino just made a face and chugged the rest of his coffee. He picked up his plate setting it in the sink before grabbing the coffee pot. He poured Prussia and himself another mug. "So, what are you doing today?"

"Vell, I'd love to do jou." Gilbert said with a smile and Matthew rolled his eyes. "But I'd settle for a movie marathon."

"That sounds good to me." Canada hummed. He knew he had work to do, but he could put that off for another while.

**AN: These two really have a thing for suggestive sausages.**


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

**A few days later...**

Matthew hummed tiredly sitting up. He yawned and stretched looking around. Gilbert wasn't in bed, he'd gotten up a couple of hours ago. He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment before getting up and going to have a shower. As he hopped out he heard his cell ringing. He looked at the contact and smiled eagerly.

"Hey, Ash." Canada greeted.

"Yo, Matt!" Ash replied excitedly. "We figured out who the ghoul was! He is Shuu Tsukiyama; I have no idea if I'm pronouncing that right. He's known as Gourmet. He's thirty one and from Japan. He's pretty well known over there."

"Has Blair managed to stick a tracker?" Matthew asked excitedly.

"Not yet, he's still tracking him. I think he knows we're following him." They explained. "I've hacked and put a travel ban on him, he can't leave the country. I've slipped some stuff to the CCG on him as well. Hopefully they will put two and two together."

"Okay. Thank you." Blackbird said thankfully with a sigh.

"No problem, Matthew." Ash said. "I'll, or Shayne will let you know when Blair tags him."

"Thanks again, Ash." Canada said with a smile. He couldn't wait to get his kagune in him. "I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, bye!" They said as they hung up. Matthew smiled and went to get dressed. He threw on a new hoodie. He looked in the laundry realizing most of his hoodies were already there. Prussia had been wearing most of them lately. Canada didn't mind, he knew they were very loose on him and probably didn't rub or get stuck on his bandages.

The Canadian went downstairs almost tripping over Kumajirou who was asleep on a stair. He went into the kitchen and found a cold pot of coffee. He shrugged and poured himself a mug. He checked Gilbert's pills seeing he'd already taken the morning ones. He smiled and looked out the window spotting him under an umbrella reading the paper on the deck.

Matthew smiled and took his mug outside leaving the door open slightly just encase Kumajirou or Gilbird wanted out. He hummed sitting next to Prussia on the porch swing.

"Morning Gil." Blackbird said with a yawn.

"It's after twelve." Prussia laughed kissing his cheek.

"Oh, well then. Afternoon Gil." He corrected with a smirk. He leaned over giving the albino a kiss. "How's your side?"

"Itchy." Gilbert grumbled leaning into his side.

"Stitches are coming out today." Matthew said pressing a light kiss into his hair. The Prussian nodded excitedly. "Oh! Ash called. They figured out who it was."

"Ja? Vho vas it?" Gilbert asked looking up at him.

"Tsukiyama? I think I'm saying that right. Ash says he's from Japan. The name sounds familiar though, I've heard it before." Canada said biting his lip. "Ash said he's known as Gourmet. I'll do some googling when I get a chance."

"Are jou going to go after him?" Prussia asked.

"Is that even a question?" Matthew smirked. "Of course! Whether he's in Canada or not, I'll be going after him."

"Kick his ass Birdie." Gilbert said with a smile.

"Oh, I intend to do more than that." Canada said with a sweet smile, resting his head on top of the albino's. He reopened the paper and started to read. Blackbird skimmed a few articles, but nothing really interested him. He looked off into the trees seeing a few squirrels playing in the branches. Matthew sighed happily with a smile watching them.

-❄️"My life needs editing."❄️-

**A month later...**

Canada stood up and stretched from his seat as a break was called. The nations were in France for a meeting. He was bored as usual and played X's and O's with Prussia. The albino had fully healed and was eager to get back to doing everything he wasn't aloud to do before. He was so happy he didn't have to take pills any more.

Speaking of Gilbert, the Prussian took his hand pulling him along into the hallway to talk with Francis and Antonio. Matthew listened for a while, but his stomach rumbled telling him he was hungry. He hadn't eaten in quite a while.

"I'm going to get a coffee." Canada said quietly to Prussia trying not to interrupt France. "Want anything Gil?"

"Nein, Birdie. I'm okay, danke." Gilbert said giving him a on the cheek. The Canadian nodded and stepped away from their conversation starting the short walk to the coffee machine. He opened the door into the hallway and kept walking. He retreated back in his mind thinking of home.

Blair had been tracking the ghoul down. He had seen him multiple times, but hadn't been able to stick a tracker. Gourmet had seemed to know that he was being followed and tracked. Blackbird knew that Blair was getting frustrated and wanted to get him tagged. The Japanese ghoul hadn't even tried to leave the country yet. He was smart and hiding. Matthew knew that Blair would tag him eventually and he was ready.

Canada wasn't paying attention when he was suddenly pushed against the wall. He growled as America pushed his forearm against his throat cutting off his air supply. He used his super human like strength to keep Matthew's hands pinned above his head.

"Sup, _bro?_ " Alfred purred with a creepy smile. A wave of fear washed over Canada making him freeze. His eyes widened in fear. "I heard about Prussia."

Blackbird whimpered struggling slightly in the American's grip. He looked around for someone or something to help him, but there was no one in the empty hallway. He only noticed a single security camera. He couldn't use his kagune or change his eyes to try and scare him off. He doubted it would work anyway.

"You couldn't protect yourself." America laughed. "Still can't. I am not surprised you couldn't protect him either."

Matthew growled trying to twist in Alfred's grip. He was barely listening to his words. His vision was fading as he started to run out of air. The American laughed watching him squirm and writhe in his grip. He pushed his arm harder against the Canadian's throat. He fought harder as his breath ran out. He managed to get one leg in between the blond's and kicked as hard as he could.

America immediately crumpled with a grunt holding his crotch. Blackbird caught himself and moved quickly to the other end of the hall. He pushed through the door and closed it behind him and locked it. He leaned against it catching his breath and calming his racing heart. He realized he was shaking and put his hands into his pockets looking around. He was happy there was no one there.

Matthew hated how he was still terrified of Alfred. He had been getting better, but he knew this would set him back. He was a scared little kitten when the American came close. He wanted to just move past the fear, but just when he thought he was taking steps forward, he'd fall back.

Blackbird finally calmed himself and pushed off the door. He set his mind back on finding coffee. He walked down the hall finding a detour. He used every sense he had to make sure Alfred wasn't anywhere near him. He finally found the coffee machine and made a cup. He quickly made his way back to Gilbert.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Prussia knew as soon as he saw Canada something had happened. He noticed the change in his demeanour instantly. He looked shaken and nervous. It was subtle, something only he'd notice. He noticed America wasn't around either.

Matthew walked over to him and Gilbert saw what looked like bruises starting to form on his neck. He carefully put an arm around his waist watching his reaction. Sometimes Canada wanted the touch and other times he would need a bit of separation. Blackbird leaned into his side thankful for him being there.

"Liebling?" The albino asked quietly. Francis and Antonio didn't seem to notice and continued their conversation. "Are jou okay?"

"I'm fine." The Canadian lied shaking his head. Gilbert knew he wasn't, but didn't want to push or pressure him. He was very quiet for the rest of the meetings. The Prussian constantly kept close never straying to far from his side.

"What happened Birdie?" The albino asked as soon as they got back to their hotel room. Matthew shook his head tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. Prussia quickly pulled him in for a hug rubbing soothing circles into his back. The Canadian's hands fisted into the back of his suit jacket hanging on tight. His breaths were shaky and uneven. "It's okay, Liebe. I'm here, no ones going to hurt jou."

Gilbert carefully stepped back taking Matthew with him as he sat on the bed. He didn't say anymore, he just rocked them slowly back and forth waiting for the Canadian to calm. He hid his face in the crook of the Prussian's neck. His breaths slowly calmed after a while of quiet.

"I'm sorry, Gil." Blackbird said quietly moving his head to look up at him.

"Jou don't need to apologize. It's okay, Vogel." Gilbert hummed pressing a kiss to his forehead. He was still wondering what had happened to bring this on. Matthew was quiet for a little longer until he spoke again.

"I don't want to be scared of him anymore." Canada muttered. "I want to move past it, but I can't. I don't know what to do."

"It vill take time." Prussia said slowly. Blackbird looked like he was going to say something, but he interrupted him. "I know I say that every time, but it's true. Nation's physical wounds may heal fast, but the mental ones don't."

"I know, but it's been over two hundred years." Blackbird murmured quietly. "He gets anywhere near me and the memories come back. I want them to go away."

"I don't think they ever just go avay." Prussia said sadly. "But I vill alvays be here for jou and I'll try to chase them avay."

"Thank you." Matthew said hiding his face again. He breathed in the albino's scent closing his eyes. He went quiet again just listening to Gilbert's heart beat. He spoke again after a while. "I wasn't paying attention and America followed me. He grabbed me and pinned me against the wall. He started saying stuff about how I can't protect myself and it wasn't surprising I couldn't protect you either. He was cutting my air off. I kicked him hard in the crotch to get away."

"He deserves that." Prussia said with a small laugh, but then he got serious. "Don't listen to him. I trust jou vith my life."

"Je t'aime tellement que je ne peux pas le mettre en mots." Matthew said shaking his head with a small smile. Gilbert hummed holding him close. He laid back in the bed with him and wrapped them together in the covers like a burrito. They were still in their suits from the day, but neither one really cared.

"Ich liebe dich auch." Prussia hummed with a smile kissing his forehead. The Canadian tucked his head under the albino's chin blocking out the world for the rest of the night. Gilbert was happy to be there with him and shield him.

-❄️" Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."❄️-

The next morning, Prussia was awake first. He didn't dare move, he didn't want to wake up Matthew. The Canadian was sound asleep on his chest. He smiled watching him, he looked so calm and peaceful. His breathing was even and slow. He wondered what time it was. He wondered if they had slept in and were late. He didn't really care though.

Canada moved slightly nuzzling into his chest. His eyes opened slowly blinking the sleep from them. He yawned quietly looking up realizing the albino was already awake. He gave him a tired smile and snuggled back into his chest. Prussia hummed quietly playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. The Canadian leaned into his touch starting to wake up more.

"What time is it?" Blackbird asked voice deep with grogginess.

"I have no idea." Gilbert said. He sighed running his hands through the Matthew's hair. "Jou varm, I don't vant to get up."

"I don't either." Canada hummed with a yawn. He was so warm and comfortable in the albino's arms. He felt safe and calm surrounded by his scent.

"It's probably early. We vent to bed early last night." Prussia sighed and Matthew nodded. He kissed his nose making him giggle. "Besides, if we vere late I'm sure West vould be after us."

The couple laid together quietly for quite sometime before getting up. They realized how wrinkly their suits were and laughed. Blackbird decided to have a shower to wash Alfred's scent off him and changed into a new suit. The Prussian had already changed and was waiting for him. They lazed around for a while longer before going downstairs for breakfast. Matthew sat beside Gilbert as he ate and just sipped at a coffee.

Canada smelled a few other nations around, but not America. He was relieved that he wasn't around yet. Prussia noticed him looking around for the other blond and put a hand on his knee. He moved his thumb lightly up and down reassuringly. Matthew looked over and he gave him a gentle smile. He smiled back leaning into his side. Soon it was time for more meetings. Blackbird knew he wouldn't be able to avoid Alfred anymore. Nerves washed over him as soon as the American entered the room.

Prussia noticed him as well and glared at him. He wanted so badly to walk right up and punch Alfred. He desperately wanted to cause him as much pain as he had caused Canada. He wanted to tell the other nations what he did yesterday and over two hundred years ago. Gilbert wouldn't though, Matthew didn't want anyone to know or find out what had happened. He knew that there would be a lot of questions that Blackbird didn't want to answer or think about. Sure, he wanted America to get in trouble, but it would only cause the Canadian more distress. He didn't want him to have to relive the memories again.

Blackbird could barely focus on the presentations. His instincts were telling him to run every time he caught America's scent. He was busy doodling to keep his mind occupied when he felt his phone vibrate. He quickly checked it and immediately smiled.

'Tagged him.' Blair had texted. 'He's still here around Saskatoon.'

'Thx, I'll get him asap." Matthew quickly replied putting his phone back in his pocket. He smiled smugly and was excited to get home.

'Sup?' Prussia wrote in his notebook noticing the Canadian's mood shift. He tapped his arm getting his attention.

'Blair finally tagged the gourmet.' Matthew wrote back with a smile. He was ready to go after this ghoul and finally kill him.

**AN: Poor bean. Also happy new year! And encase you're interested I posted the first chap to the sequel of Forgotten Knight on Saturday. The second one is called Ignited.**


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

"Are jou leaving now?" Gilbert asked putting his hands on Canada's hips. Matthew nodded and rested his hands on the albino's shoulders. "Be careful Birdie."

"I will be, as always." He said with a small smile. Prussia brought him closer and he leaned down and kissed him happily. He hummed and the albino bit his lip asking for entrance. He immediately allowed it and tilted his head to give him a better angle.

"Kick his ass, Liebe." Gilbert said as they broke apart.

"I plan to do more than that!" Matthew said with a small laugh. The pair lingered for a moment neither one really wanting to move, Prussia sighed stepping away and handing him his helmet. "I'll be back in like a day or so."

Canada gave him a kiss on the cheek before going out to the garage. He put on his helmet and climbed onto his bike. He started it and rolled out of the garage. He had quite a bit of a ride a head of him. The Gourmet ghoul was a whole province over. He didn't mind the long ride, but he was eager to find and kill the ghoul.

-❄️" My fake plants died because I did not pretend to water them."❄️-

Matthew tracked the man for a while until he found him at a bar. He noticed the man was sipping at a glass of blood wine. He looked up and spotted Blackbird. He quickly payed his tab and walked towards him. Gourmet stepped around him and went outside. He followed him watching the man closely. He seemed to stumble slightly. He walked into the empty alley next to the building and turned to meet him.

"Bonjour, Blackbird." Gourmet greeted with a small smile. His accent obscured his French, but the Canadian could still understand him. "Je suis désolé de blesser votre partenaire. I know you won't just let me leave."

"You're right, I won't." Matthew said. He wondered if the ghoul could completely understand him. He didn't care if he really did, but Gourmet seemed to. "Why did you attack us?"

"Son parfum. Il sentait étrange, exotique. You smell similar, but with underlying ghoul. I should have known not to bother." The man said with a dramatic flare. He was slurring slightly, the blood wine was getting to him. "I have seemed to have sealed my own fate."

"You most certainly have." Canada said holding back a growl. He knew never to fight angry, it made him sloppy.

"What are you?" Gourmet asked curiously. Matthew thought about it for a second. This man wasn't going to be leaving this alley alive so he could tell him without worrying. "What is he?"

"We're nations." Blackbird said slowly. The man raised an eyebrow. "We're 'immortal' beings that personify a country. He's a normal nation, but I happen to be a ghoul as well as a nation."

"That's interesting." Gourmet said slowly. "Je ne vais pas partir sans combat."

"Je ne m'attendrais pas à rien de moins." Matthew purred stepping forward. Gourmet stepped forward as well putting his mask over his face. He copied his action and released his kagune ready for the fight. The man rushed towards him with his spiral sword and slashed at him. Blackbird brought one wing in front of himself blocking the swipe while the other stabbed at the man.

The Gourmet growled stepping backwards, but Canada advanced sticking close and slashing at him with his wings. He blocked the stabs retaliating with his own. Both of them managed to land a few hits. Matthew noticed how quickly the man healed. He hopped back getting some distance between them. He shot a blast of shards at the ghoul, but he stopped them with his sword. He landed in a crouch and Gourmet rushed at him.

The man ducked under a blast Canada sent at him and stabbed at him. He didn't have enough time to get completely out of the way. The blade cut into his side just under his rib cage. What Gourmet didn't expect was the sudden blast of crystals. They embedded into his chest. He quickly took a step back and pulled them out. The holes were already starting to heal over. Blackbird realized how much damage this man could take. He smiled and shot a few targeted shards at him.

Matthew hopped and jumped over the man as he kept attacking and slashing at him. He laughed and shot another blast as he flipped over Gourmet. He was having fun causing the ghoul pain; Gourmet seemed to realize that he was toying with him. He still pulled the shards out with a grunt and tried to attack him, but Blackbird would just jump out of the way. He growled in frustration with a pained expression. The man was starting to tire, but Canada was doing fine.

Matthew laughed lightly landing in a crouch watching the ghoul yank the crystals out. Gourmet's wounds were still healing quickly, while the ones he had caused on the Canadian were still healing. Gourmet bit his lip breathing heavily watching him.

"Vous avez beaucoup d'endurance pour un ukaku." The man said out of breath. He smiled and straightened up. "I'm impressed."

Blackbird smiled spreading his wings slightly. He was getting bored of toying with the man. He was ready to finally kill this guy and go home. He rushed forward at the ghoul. The man didn't have enough time to react before Canada stabbed through him with his wing. He smiled stepping back and yanking his kagune out. Gourmet cried out in pain. The wound was already starting to heal. Matthew was very impressed with his healing abilities. He smiled knowing that it would only cause him more pain in the long run.

Canada shot another blast of crystals at the man. He cried out in pain falling backwards from the force. The shards were concentrated around his lungs. Matthew could see that he had stopped breathing, but his body was still healing. He shot another blast at the man's heart. He watched closely to see if he was healing and smiled seeing that he wasn't. He sent one last crystal through his brain just for good measure. Blackbird dropped his card next to his body. He dissolved his kagune and changed his eyes before walking back to his bike.

-❄️" The thrill of coming home has never changed."❄️-

"Gil! I'm back!" Canada called. It was around lunch by the time he finally got home. He started following the albino's scent and found him in the office with headphones in. By the way he was bopping his head he knew he was listening to music. He smiled seeing him.

Prussia was deep in his work and didn't notice the Canadian walk around behind him. His fingers ghosted lightly over his shoulders before he started to massage the albino's neck. Gilbert jumped at the touch and looked up.

"Hallo, Birdie." He said with a smile pulling his headphones out. He reached up and carefully cupped Blackbird's face as he leaned over him. He hummed pulling him down for a kiss. The angle was odd, but they made it work. "I didn't hear jou come in."

"I could tell." Matthew said with a small smile. The Prussian closed his laptop and stood up. He immediately noticed the blood on his shirt.

"Are jou okay?" Gilbert demanded carefully lifting up his shirt to look.

"I'm okay, Gilly. Just a scratch." Blackbird said reassuringly. The albino sighed seeing no wound. He only saw a small scar where one had been. He let his shirt go and hugged him tightly happy that he wasn't hurt.

"He's gone?" Prussia asked as they pulled back. Matthew nodded kissing his forehead.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

**AN: This chap and the next will be smut ;). I will be posting this chap, 19 and 20 at the same time so if you don't like smut skip to 20!**

Matthew yawned blinking awake slowly. Sun was streaming through the window; he hummed happily at its warmth. He felt Prussia's arms tighten around his waist and kisses were pressed to his shoulder.

"Morning Liebe." Prussia hummed tiredly pulling him close. Blackbird yawned turning over in his arms. He smiled and pulled him in for a proper kiss. The albino smiled into the kiss rolling onto his hands and knees hovering over him never breaking contact. His hands trailed along his sides making him shiver before dipping under his shirt.

"Good morning to you too." Matthew laughed lightly as they broke apart. Gilbert smirked kissing along his jaw and down his neck. He bit and sucked intending to leave marks. The Canadian gasped and tangled his hand into his hair. "Ah! Gil."

"Awake now, Birdie?" Prussia purred. Matthew nodded and wrapped his legs around the albino's waist. He hummed leaning down kissing the Canadian again grinding their hips together.

"More than awake." Blackbird gasped biting his lip. His hips bucked involuntarily and Gilbert laughed. "I want you Gilly."

"I can tell." Prussia hummed pushing his shirt up and toying with one of his nipples. The Canadian let out a small moan as the Prussian started to trail kisses down his stomach. His hands traced over his muscles making him shiver. The albino paused at the hem on his pyjama pants looking up at Matthew. He quickly nodded face flushed bright red. Gilbert smiled pulling down his pants and underwear exposing his already hard member. "I thought I vas eager."

"Shut up." Matthew said blush growing deeper. The Prussian smirked taking all of him in his mouth. He gasped and moaned fingers tangling in his hair pulling slightly. Prussia hummed as he bobbed sending waves of pleasure up the Canadian's spine. His pace was slow and steady. He'd go all the way up before swirling his tongue around the head and going back down again. Canada bit his lip trying to resist the urge to buck into his mouth. "Fuck, Gil!"

Gilbert smirked drawing back. Blackbird whined at the loss of friction. The albino came back up and sloppily kissed the Canadian. He offered Matthew his fingers after they broke apart. He took them in his mouth tongue expertly coating them in saliva. He looked him right in the eyes never breaking eye contact. Matthew smirked with his eyes half lidded as he sucked knowing Gilbert was enjoying the show. The Prussian smiled and bit his lip watching him.

"Gott Vogel. Jou're gorgeous." The albino hummed while Canada smirked again around the fingers. He took his fingers out of his mouth and moved back downwards. Blackbird spread his legs as Prussia pulled his pants down further. He looked back up at him for permission. Matthew nodded quickly biting his lip face still flushed. He swirled one finger around his entrance before slowly pushing in. He covered his mouth with one hand keeping in a moan as the Prussian slowly worked him open. "Let me here jou Liebling."

"Ah! Please Gil, more." Canada gasped moving his hand away and moved his hips trying to get more friction. Prussia smiled pushing in and out a few more times before adding a second finger. Matthew moaned again as he started to scissor them. He knew that the albino was intentionally missing his prostate. "Arrête de taquiner! Just fuck me already."

"Have patience, Birdie." Gilbert purred adding a third finger. He lightly brushed over Blackbird's sweet spot making him gasp and arch his back. Prussia bit his lip watching him moan and squirm trying to make him hit that spot again.

"If you don't hurry up I'm going to just push you down and ride you." Matthew threatened. The Prussian smirked pulling his fingers out brushing his prostate as he went. The Canadian gasped and moaned biting his lip face flushed.

"Okay, okay." Gilbert said pulling his own pyjama pants down. Canada stretched to reach their side table to grab the lube. He sat up and squirted some of it into his hand. He warmed it up ever so slightly looking up to Prussia for confirmation. He quickly nodded and Matthew smiled innocently starting to rub the cold lube on his member. "Ah! That's freezing!"

"Have patience, Pooh Bear." Canada teased with a smirk. Gilbert rolled his eyes, but bit his lip as he slowly stroked. "It'll warm up."

"Jou're sassy this morning." The Prussian commented with a groan. Matthew just smirked and stopped stroking. Prussia groaned at the loss while the Canadian laughed lightly. He turned over raising his hips slightly. Gilbert hummed at the sight and leaned over him kissing the back of his neck. He slowly rubbed his member over his already slick hole. "Ready?"

"Yes." Canada said pushing his hips back eagerly. Prussia smiled and pushed in slowly letting him adjust. He groaned as he bottomed out. The Canadian let out a long low moan at the feeling of being filled. The albino kissed his cheek and down his back waiting for a signal to move. Matthew rolled his hips back telling him to move.

Gilbert smiled and started to move very slowly. He grunted biting his lip feeling along the Canadian's sides. Blackbird's fingers fisted in the bed sheets and he buried his face in them to stifle his moans. The Prussian changed his angle trying to find that sweet spot. Matthew threw his head back with a gasp and he knew he had hit it. He hummed keeping the same angle attacking that spot. He picked up the pace leaning over him kissing and sucking along his neck. Canada moaned loudly rolling his hips back to meet every one of Gilbert's thrusts.

"Faster, Gil, Please!" Matthew moaned biting his lip trying to keep his sounds in, it was nearly impossible. The albino smiled biting the shell of his ear earning a gasp. He laughed lightly moving faster. The Canadian groaned biting his lip feeling heat building in his stomach. Gilbert kissed along his neck again as he pounded into him. "I'm close, Gil." Blackbird gasped breathlessly.

"I am too." Prussia grunted kissing his cheek.

Canada twisted and reached back cupping his face. The Prussian leaned down and hungrily kissed him. He bit his lip asking for entrance and Matthew allowed it humming into the kiss. He gasped suddenly breaking apart as he came. He tightened around Gilbert making him grunt. The albino thrusted a few more times before he came as well. He rested his hips against Blackbird's not pulling out yet both trying to catch their breath.

Prussia leaned down and kissed the crook of his neck. "Ich liebe dich." Matthew leaned back again kissing him properly.

"Je t'aime aussi." Canada panted. The Prussian sighed pulling out with a groan. He flopped down next to the Canadian looking over with a smile. Matthew smiled as well curling into his side. Gilbert's arms snaked around his waist and pulled him close. He lightly kissed his jaw noticing a hickey he had left pretty high.

Blackbird had dark splotches all over his neck and shoulders. Prussia smirked seeing his handy work. He knew he'd probably get payback for it later once he noticed. He most certainly wouldn't mind.

"So, ah, vho's doing laundry?" Gilbert asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you started it." Matthew smirked kissing him again. He sighed and nodded in agreement.

"I've already done vhat vas important today so I might as vell." Prussia said and Canada smiled. "But I think I'll have a nap first."

"I think I'll join you." Blackbird hummed with a yawn. He tucked his head under the albino's chin breathing in his scent. Gilbert nodded as well lightly rubbing his thumbs on Matthew's hips as they fell asleep.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

**AN: second part of smut.**

Matthew hummed walking down the hall. He skidded to a stop catching a glance of himself in the mirror. His eyes widened seeing the dark marks all over his neck. They were high up on his neck and jaw. He knew he wouldn't be able to hide them, but was happy he wouldn't have to go anywhere until tomorrow. Canada knew Prussia loved to mark him. He didn't really mind and kind of liked it. He got annoyed when he left them up high, but didn't get angry. He got even.

When they had first started to mess around, Matthew was very cautious and nervous. Gilbert had taken things slowly knowing his past. He didn't want to scare the Canadian. Their actual first time had been awkward. It was Prussia's first time bottoming and Canada didn't really know what he was doing. They had made it work and had fun. It had taken a while until the Prussian was able to convince him to bottom. He was very nervous and tense, but he trusted the albino completely. Now, neither one really cared about top or bottom; what ever happened, happened.

Blackbird hummed to himself continuing down the hall. He smiled smugly tracing Gilbert's scent to the kitchen. He was absentmindedly watching dishes and didn't hear the Canadian sneak up behind him. He gasped dropping the spoon he was washing as Matthew pushed him against the counter.

"Taking revenge already?" Prussia asked as the Canadian's hands went to his hips pulling them to his. He bit the junction of his neck earning another gasp. "I just vashed the sheets."

"Looks like they'll need to be done again." Matthew purred in his ear. Gilbert shivered arching his back into the Canadian's touch. He held on to the counter grinding his ass against Canada's crotch. Blackbird smiled seeing how flushed the albino already was.

"Ah! Birdie!" Prussia gasped as he bit his shoulder. Matthew hummed scooping him up in his arms. He yelped in surprise holding on to his hoodie. He carried him up the stairs to bed laying him down and crawling on top of him. The albino smiled tangling his fingers in Canada's hair as he pushed up his shirt. He started low and bit his way up Gilbert's stomach and chest pausing to focus on his neck. The Prussian was squirming and gasping the whole time. He wasn't one to try to be quiet. "Liebe please!"

"What do you want, petit ours?" Matthew asked stopping his attack on the Prussian's neck. He whined needily at the loss. He smiled seeing how hard Gilbert already was. He was bright red too, blush spreading across his cheeks all the way to his ears.

"I vant jou." Prussia said looking up at him meeting his eyes. Canada smiled softly returning to biting his neck and collar bone. He positioned one knee in between the albino's thighs lightly rubbing his crotch with it.

"You've got to be more specific, Gilly." Canada hummed as the Prussian's nails scratched along his back. He wasn't able to break his skin, but the Canadian still enjoyed the feeling.

"I vant jou in me now." Gilbert demanded voice wavering shyly towards the end. His blushed deepened as Blackbird smirked. He hummed and started to kiss down his chest pausing at his belt. He looked up and Prussia nodded quickly. Matthew easily undid his belt as the albino lifted his hips. He pulled them all the way down completely removing his pants and underwear. Canada ignored Gilbert's rock hard member and tugged the Prussian's shirt off leaving him completely naked. "Don't jou think jou're a bit over dressed?"

"Maybe just a little." Canada said sitting back and taking off his hoodie. Gilbert smiled admiring him. He leaned back down over him ghosting his fingers over the albino's member. Blackbird bit along his neck again. The Prussian moaned arching his back wanting more, he was so sensitive.

"Scheiße Birdie!" Prussia gasped eyes filled with need. Matthew smiled reaching up to open their side table to find the lube. He frowned feeling around not finding it. He sat back and Gilbert smirked pulling the bottle out from under the pillow. He winked and tossed it to him. Canada just laughed lightly and easily caught it. "Here jou go Liebling. Just like being prepared."

"I thought I was eager." Matthew said with a smirk. The Prussian just snorted and rolled his eyes. The Canadian squirted some of the lube on to his fingers. He warmed it up thoroughly while Gilbert watched him. He was breathing heavily in anticipation. Blackbird looked up and the albino immediately nodded.

"Bitte Vogel." Prussia breathed biting his lip. Canada smiled prodding at his hole before pushing one finger in. The Prussian gasped and mewled hands fisting in the sheets. Blackbird hummed listening to the sounds Gilbert was making. He pushed in and out easily finding his prostate. The albino cried out throwing his head back curling his toes. "Fick, so gut! Mehr, Liebe, bitte!"

Matthew smiled adding a second finger and scissoring them working him open. Prussia pushed his hips back trying to get more inside him. The Canadian smirked and stopped moving his fingers. The albino whined and started to move his hips on his own. Prussia gasped as a third finger was added. Blackbird bit his lip watching him pleasure himself on his fingers. He undid his own belt with a sigh as the cool air hit his member. He shimmied his pants down while the albino was preoccupied.

"Birdie!" Gilbert whined as he removed his fingers. He looked down at him realizing what he was doing and licked his lips. "Oh! Ja, bitte! I want jou now!"

"You're needy today." Matthew commented positioning himself at the Prussian's entrance. He leaned down and kissed Prussia as he slowly pushed in. He lightly bit the albino's lip asking for entrance. He let him in, but soon gasped breaking apart as Canada bottomed out.

"Nnugh." Gilbert moaned closing his eyes. Blackbird smiled kissing him again to distract from the slight pain. "I alvays forget how big jou are. Scheiße!"

Matthew hummed starting to bite along his neck again. He'd press a kiss to the same spot after every nip. There were already dark marks forming all over him, they stood out more on the albino since he was so pale. Gilbert wrapped his legs around Canada's waist bringing him closer.

"Move, please, Liebling." Prussia begged rolling his hips. Matthew hummed setting a slow pace, but the albino wasn't happy. "More! Harder!" Blackbird smirked giving him what he wanted hitting his sweet spot every time. Gilbert moaned hands tangling in Matthew's hair. "Ahhh~ Birdie! So good, fuck!"

The Canadian groaned biting his lip as he moved. He could feel heat starting to build in his stomach. Prussia seemed to be the same, he was barely able to get out any coherent word. The albino wrapped his arms around Matthew's shoulders and pulled him back down kissing him sloppily. They broke apart as Gilbert gasped. He still was hugging him tightly and could feel his hot breath in his ear.

Prussia's nails scratched along his back as he came with a cry. Canada grunted as he thrusted a few more times before coming as well. His thrusts grew more sporadic as he rode out his orgasm. He quickly kissed the albino running his hands down his sides. Gilbert shivered and groaned as Matthew pulled out.

The Canadian hummed slipping out of his arms and moving downwards. He happily started to lick the cum off his chest. Gilbert laughed hands tangling in his hair again. He smiled making sure he got every drop before moving back up. Blackbird laid down next to him and pulled him to his chest. Prussia yawned loudly curling into Matthew's side.

"Jou're doing the sheets this time." The Prussian said.

Canada nodded lovingly kissing his cheek. "Hmmm. Nap first though."

"Second nap and it's not even after lunch!" Gilbert laughed lightly. "Ich liebe dich, Birdie." He said kissing his jaw.

"Je t'aime aussi." Matthew hummed leaning into his touch closing his eyes.

**AN: Can ghouls eat cum? Idk! Let's go with yes.**


	20. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

**A few months later...**

"How's it going Birdie?" Gilbert asked walking into their office and leaning on the desk. He handed the Canadian a cup of coffee.

"Okay." Matthew sighed taking the coffee and taking a sip. "I think I'm happy with it now."

Blackbird had been working on the ghoul legislation all day. He had finally gotten the final draft to where he wanted it. Every time he reread it there was something he'd want to change, but he knew that it would never be perfect. Canada knew when to stop messing with it. He quickly emailed it out to all his representatives before he tried to change anything else.

"That's good." Prussia hummed leaning down and kissing his forehead. "Ready for tomorrow?"

"No. I don't think I will be." Canada sighed pushing back in his chair. Gilbert smiled and sat in his lap. "I'm nervous."

"Over half of jour house is ghouls, I think it'll pass." The albino said reassuringly. "I mean it vill be a miracle if it doesn't!"

"I know." Matthew murmured arms snaking around his waist and resting his chin on his shoulder. "I'm just paranoid."

"And it's being proposed by the nation himself." Prussia hummed resting his head on his. "Jou'll do awesome! They can't say no to jou."

"They can, but I hope they don't." Matthew grumbled.

"They von't." Gilbert said kissing his jaw. "Do jou know vhat time it is?"

"Late, eh?" Blackbird asked through a yawn taking another sip of his coffee. The albino nodded and the Canadian set his mug down. He sighed standing up with Prussia in his arms. "Let's go to bed then."

"Ja." Gilbert hummed kissing his cheek again. He wrapped his arms around the Canadian's neck. Matthew smiled tiredly carrying him up the stairs to bed. He set him down on the bed and crawled in next to him not bothering to change. Prussia immediately pulled him to his chest with a huff.

"Je t'aime Gil." Canada said through a yawn. He hummed happily at his warmth and scent.

"Ich liebe dich über alles." Gilbert said kissing his nose earning a laugh. "Now sleep, Liebe. Jou've got to get up early tomorrow."

-❄️" Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom."❄️-

The next morning, Prussia was up first as usual. He went downstairs and made coffee before coming back up to wake the Canadian. He smiled gently seeing Matthew curled up with the blankets completely covering everything accept his nose. He went over to their bed and leaned down lightly kissing his nose.

Canada groaned as Gilbert brushed the blankets off his head. The albino laughed kissing his forehead. His eyes opened slowly as he blinked away the sleep. He wrapped his arms around Prussia's neck pulling him down into the bed and hugged him tightly.

"Birdie." The Prussian whined trying to sit up. Matthew hummed tiredly kissing his cheek sleepily. "Jou've got to get up."

"I don't want to." Canada grumbled and Gilbert laughed. The albino struggled trying to get up, but he was bigger and stronger than him. "I hate mornings."

"Ja, Ja." Prussia said. "Jou're a night owl. 'Blackbird singing in the dead of night' and all that, but jou really need to get up."

"Oh my god." Matthew laughed rolling his eyes. He huffed and sat up with the Prussian still in his lap. "That was bad."

"It got jou up, didn't it?" Gilbert laughed. He wriggled out of his arms and took his hands pulling him up. "Jou do really need to fly."

"Stop it." Canada laughed rolling his eyes. He kissed his cheek before going to get dressed. Prussia went back downstairs to wait for him. He came back downstairs dressed to the nines. The albino smiled seeing him. He handed Matthew a mug of coffee. "Thank you, Gilly."

"Jou look fantastic." Prussia hummed straightening his tie. He gently cupped the Canadian's face before bringing him in for a kiss. It was slow and sleepy, Matthew still wasn't fully awake. "I feel like a doting house wife." Canada rolled his eyes. "Break a leg, Birdie! I'm sure it vill go vell."

"Thank you." Matthew hummed again kissing his cheek.

-❄️" If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable."❄️-

**AN: I may be Canadian and passed the civics/government class we're required to, but I don't really know how our parliament works or what the levels are called so give me a bit of a break on this part... I'm too lazy and don't really care enough to look into it either.**

Matthew tapped his foot nervously. He was ready to finally get this over and done with. The session had just started, but it already felt like hours. They were just doing a bit of house keeping before his introduction. He could see representatives already looking over his legislation again. He knew most of them had read it before hand.

"That covers our house keeping for the day." The house speaker said getting his attention. "Mr. Canada, you have the floor."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker." Matthew said standing up to address the house. "Good morning everyone." He started with a smile. "As most of you know, Canada has the least amount of ghoul attacks in the world. This however doesn't mean there are no ghouls here. As a nation, it is my job to protect and care for my citizens. In order to protect my human citizens I believe we need to introduce laws around ghouls. Laws that don't exclude or outlaw them, laws that actually assist them. As you've read by now, I would like to introduce a program that will feed the ghouls. I'd like to open the floor to any questions you may have or any clarifications you might need."

"Mr. Canada, wouldn't this attract more ghouls to the country? How would we deal with this?" One of the human representatives from Manitoba called.

"The same way we deal with all other immigrants and refugees. They would be under the same scrutiny." Matthew answered.

"An you're planning on harvesting human meat through funeral homes? Will there be enough?" The same representative asked.

"I believe so yes. Ghouls only need to eat one body a month, but if they space it out correctly it could be less." Canada explained.

"Will the families be able to opt out of the harvesting?" One of the human Newfoundland representatives asked.

"Yes of course. Although there should be compensation of some kind for the families who do decide to allow the harvest." Blackbird nodded. "We'd have to be very careful who is harvested and who isn't. If there's a possibility of foul play in their deaths they will be left alone."

"What will happen to any of the ghouls we currently have in custody?" One of the ghoul Ontarian representatives asked.

"Depending on their situation, they could be released. It would be a case by case basis." Canada said. He wasn't aware of any ghouls the CCG had.

"What would happen to the CCG? Their jobs would be lost." A human BC representative called gaining his attention.

"No, we'd still need people that are educated in ghouls, but they'd shift their focus to control and protection instead of capture and kill." The Canadian explained.

"And what about Red-Winged Blackbird?" A Québec representative called. Matthew raised an eyebrow. "They've been killing ghouls inside of Canada for generations. Would the investigation continue or would it just be dropped? The ghouls that have been killed by them have been problems, but under the ghoul legislation it would count as murder?"

"That would be up to the investigation team." Matthew shrugged. "Or for the courts to decide."

"Speaking of courts, how will we get the court of public opinion on board with this bill? We may not need to, but it would be much easier if we did." A ghoul representative from Saskatchewan called.


	21. Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty One

"Speaking of courts, how will we get the court of public opinion on board with this bill? We may not need to, but it would be much easier if we did." A ghoul representative from Saskatchewan called.

"It would be best if we were completely open and transparent about what we are doing. Yeah, I know that's pretty hard for politicians, but in this case, I believe it would be best." Canada said. He saw a few MP's crack smiles. "I would prefer that the public knows. There would be a huge upset if it was just suddenly implemented."

"The upset would be understandable! Ghouls are our predators, they should be killed." One of the human Yukon representatives yelled.

"Ghouls wouldn't be a danger to humans if they were properly fed." Matthew shook his head. He knew he needed to keep himself distanced. "As far as I can tell and research can tell, ghouls think and feel just like humans do. They are no different other than their diet; maybe think of them as less pushy vegans. Many people around you could be ghouls and you'd never know."

"Why do you think now is the right time to introduce this bill? Weapons to kill ghouls are advancing and we have a chance to wipe them out." The same Yukon MP asked.

"We will never be able too wipe out ghouls, they're very resilient. Besides, that would most likely cause a war you do not want." Blackbird said narrowing his eyes. "Canada is a peaceful nation, this bill will keep it that way."

"The peaceful route would be the best option. It would also most likely put less strain on the budget as well." A ghoul MP from Manitoba spoke up. "We don't have the resources to fight ghouls."

"This system, you're not planning on keeping a list of ghouls. Why?" Another human representative from BC called. He knew that the humans among them would have a lot more questions. The ghouls already knew that the system worked fine and how it functioned.

"We won't be keeping a list of names. We will be keeping a tally to see how many ghouls are using and relying on this system. It wouldn't be right to oust these ghouls with a list, they could lose jobs and such. It could hurt the economy." Canada quickly explained. He waited for another question, but no one called out any. It seemed like most of them had already made their decision.

"Alright, I will give you a moment to think it over before we vote." The house speaker announced.

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker." Matthew said sitting down. A few representatives stood up and were talking among each other.

Nerves were starting to bubble up as they talked. The Canadian knew that there was a very slim chance the bill wouldn't pass here, but he couldn't push the possibility out of his mind. He wondered if the ghouls were worried about ousting themselves if they voted for. He knew he felt like he did. If it passed here, it still had other levels to go through before it was put into place.

"Attention!" The house speaker called gaining everyone's attention. The representatives went back to their desks. "Please place your votes now."

Canada tapped his foot in anticipation; he didn't like waiting. It only took them a few minutes to vote, but it felt like hours. A few MP's met his eyes and smiled. He felt slightly reassured by their kind looks.

"Votes are in." The house speaker announced. Blackbird bit his lip. "There are one hundred and ninety two for and one hundred and twenty eight against with eighteen abstained." He sighed in relief hearing the numbers. It was a lot better then he expected. "The bill has passed and will go onto the committee stage."

It felt like a huge weight was off his shoulders at the words. He knew it still had more stages to go through, but they were taking the first few steps forward. He couldn't wait to see what the future would hold for ghouls in Canada. Of course, he knew the bill might not pass through the next levels, but he'd keep fighting for it. As long as Canada was a country he'd be around and fight for his ghouls. Whether it was at the government level or in the streets.

Blackbird sighed settling in for the rest of the session. He hummed opening his note book.

-❄️" Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can't live without."❄️-

Matthew sighed closing the door behind himself. Kumajirou toddled up to him immediately pawing at his leg. He smiled and picked him up. The cub nuzzled into his neck. Canada heard footsteps and looked up to see Gilbert.

"So?" Prussia asked excitedly. He bounced nervously on the balls of his feet as the Canadian approached. He paused giving the albino a kiss on his cheek. "Come on Birdie jou're killing me."

"It passed to the committee stage." Matthew said with a smile.

"Congratulations! That's awesome, Liebe!" Gilbert said quickly pulling him down for a kiss. Blackbird smiled into it and Kumajirou squirmed in his arms. He broke apart setting the bear down before going back to kiss him again. "I'm proud of jou."

"Thanks Gilly." Canada said kissing his forehead. "Celebratory pancakes?"

"Oh! Ja, please." Prussia laughed as Matthew picked him up. He carried him into the kitchen and set him on the counter. "Vanna coffee?"

"Yes, please." Canada hummed taking off his suit jacket and loosening his tie. He grabbed all the ingredients to make pancakes as Gilbert started to make coffee. He finished and poured him a mug before getting back up on the counter. "Hmmm merci"

"Bitte schön." Gilbert said kissing his cheek and handing him his mug. He finished the batter and poured it into the already warm pan. "Smells so good."

"I bet." Matthew laughed sipping his coffee. Prussia reached behind himself and grabbed a plate from the cupboard. He opened the drawer between his legs to grab a fork. He hopped off the counter and went to the fridge. He grabbed a beer and the maple syrup before getting back up on the counter. He opened the beer with his teeth. "You're going to break a tooth doing that."

"I'm an expert. The awesome me von't break a tooth." Gilbert said with a laugh taking a sip. Matthew rolled his eyes and flipped a pancake onto his plate. The Prussian licked his lips and started to eat. Canada hummed as he finished another setting it on his plate. He put the dishes into the sink and went back over to the albino.

Blackbird hopped up onto the counter next to him. He sipped his coffee leaning into his side. Gilbert smiled and finished his plate. He wiped the syrup off his face and leaned over pulling the Canadian down for a kiss.

"Birdie? Vhat are we?" Prussia asked slowly. He looked nervous.

"Nations?" Matthew said confused raising an eyebrow.

"Nein, I mean to each other?" The albino clarified. He took his hand in his.

"Boyfriends?" Canada said. His eyebrows furrowed. It didn't seem right; it didn't seem like the right word. "Partners?"

"Vhy don't we change that to fiancés?" The albino asked casually. Matthew's eyes widened in surprise.

"Are you asking me to marry you?" Canada asked with a small smile.

"Ja, I am." Gilbert said scratching the back of his neck. "Vill jou marry me, Matthew?"

"Yes! Of course." The Canadian said quickly pulling him in for another kiss. "I love you so much, Gil."

"I love jou too, Birdie." Prussia said holding him close.

**Finished writing on August 1st 2018**

**Finished editing on August 3rd 2018**

**AN: Aaannd done! There were a few things I wanted to do with this fic, but it didn't fit in it. I really wanted to so either Juuzou vs Canada or Kaneki/Haise vs Canada. Originally Prussia was going to end up being a one-eyed ghoul the way Kaneki did, but also didn't end up doing that. Maybe later… Probably. Anyway, I am posting the first chapter to the third book of 'Don't Fear The Reaper.' Heres the summary~**

Matthew's been gone for over two months with no contact to anyone. Jack is scared out of his mind not knowing where he is or what happened. Third book to 'Don't Fear The Reaper.'

**Not my best summary, but meh. It is called 'Black Blade' if you're interested!**

 

 

**VERY IMPORTANT! I will no longer be posting or updating here once Black Blade and Ignited are finished. Check out the links in my profile to find me on other sites.**


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